‘Wait Till You See It’: Margot Robbie And Jacob Elordi’s Wuthering Heights Gigs Inspired Backlash, And The Casting Director Is Defending The Choice
Since its announcement, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights has been subjected to the internet’s mixed feelings about the production. In case you missed it, the project is based on the classic and beloved Emily Brontë story of the same name, and some fans of the book are having increasingly big opinions on the upcoming book-to-film adaptation. The hottest takes (so far) surround the casting of Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. But casting director Kharmel Cochrane stands by the decision. Along with it, she’s urging viewers to remain open-minded until the release.
Cochrane, who has worked on Saltburn, Rye Lane, and Bob Marley: One Love, Nosferatu, was in attendance at Scotland’s Sands Film Festival, where she chatted about her career in casting, including the newest Wuthering Heights iteration. The 38-year-old is well aware of the discourse surrounding the offbeat choices for Fennell’s third flick, but people should hold off on their conclusions until specifically after the ending credits roll. She also noted that, from the team’s standpoint, what they are pulling from is art, and interpretation is okay for their go at the literature staple. Via Deadline, she stated:
There was one Instagram comment that said the casting director should be shot. But just wait till you see it, and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not. But you really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book. That is not based on real life. It’s all art.
It’s an interesting take, to say the least, but I do see both points she presents. All too often, a project can be shredded based on very particular choices (casting, directorial, etc.), before it’s even come out. Along with it, art of any kind, at the end of the day, is subjective and thrives on interpretation. So, essentially, what she’s hoping for is that any moviegoers’ experiences, wherever they fall on the spectrum of interest in Fennell’s next flick after the buzzy Saltburn, should go in with no expectations of another classic adaptation.
She’s convinced this future watcher, who is unsure of Robbie and Elordi’s standing, but unfortunately, Wuthering Heights won’t isn’t on the 2025 movie guide. Therefore, no full discernment of the film will be fully concrete until next year (it comes out Feb 13, 2026). The WH casting director went on to warn that some true-blue bibliophiles will not be pleased about the Promising Young Woman director’s take on Brontë’s work:
There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy.
Again, I’m fascinated by the tease and the above suggestion that some will take issue beyond our coming Heathcliff and Catherine. The often turbulent pipeline from book to Hollywood is nothing new, although we’ve seen a large uptick in the age of streaming. As the trend continues, the ground will likely become much more open to different retellings and choices made (Disney live-action remakes are a great example), regardless of fans’ thoughts, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see more killer movies based on classic literature.
I think it truly lies with the head of a team, and in this case, the actor turned screenwriter, Emerald Fennell, we should prepare ourselves for anything. She made a splashy and incredible directorial debut with Promising Young Woman and then went on to the pulpy Saltburn, so I think it’s safe to say this won’t be any regular version of Wuthering Heights. The Euphoria actor and Barbie star showcase just that, and I for one will be heeding the casting director’s advice to wait and see the pair on the big screen before coming for Cochrane.
