Wuthering Heights' Casting Director Shares 4-Word Response To Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Backlash

Saltburn director Emerald Fennell is working on a brand new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles.
However, the casting of the upcoming film has already faced criticism, with some claiming the character of Heathcliff – who is described as having alternately Romany and Indian heritage, and who is written as 'dark-skinned' in the original gothic novel – has been 'whitewashed' with the Euphoria star's casting.
Others reckon Margot is unconvincing as the book's teenage heroine, Catherine Earnshaw.
look at this 17 year old teenager in 1783 https://t.co/ItALyyWrYn
— naz ᓚᘏᗢ (@enchantednaz) March 23, 2025
Speaking at the Sands film festival in Scotland, the movie's casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, had a strong response to both critiques.
Per Deadline, the casting director said there is 'no need' to be completely true to the original text, claiming: 'It's just a book'.
Kharmel shared: '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.'
The casting director added: 'There's definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy. Wait until you see the set design, because that is even more shocking. And there may or may not be a dog collar in it'.
Some fans have responded poorly to the comment, with one sharing on X: 'so they saw the whitewashing backlash and proceeded to ignore it.'
so they saw the whitewashing backlash and proceeded to ignore it https://t.co/PqtvJ9zL1Tpic.twitter.com/qGlnjawPsa
— ❤️🔥 (@nerdphobik) April 28, 2025
Another X user opined: 'STOP HIRING PEOPLE WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SOURCE MATERIAL.'
'But you really don't need to be accurate. It's just a book' STOP HIRING PEOPLE WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SOURCE MATERIAL
— 𝓔𝓶 💫 (@emkenobi) April 28, 2025
Previous Heathcliff actors in major productions of Wuthering Heights have included Ralph Fiennes, Timothy Dalton, Sir Laurence Olivier and Tom Hardy, while mixed-race actor James Howson also took the lead in a 2011 adaptation.
Much-loved movies like Bridget Jones' Diary and 10 Things I Hate About You have previously provided a far-from-loyal adaptation of Austen and Shakespeare's texts, respectively.
Meanwhile, a Time film critic lauded Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet – which reimagined the story as being set in modern-day California – as 'one of the best Shakespeare adaptations'.
Only time will tell if the new Wuthering Heights will receive the same acclaim...
Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights Accused Of 'Whitewashing' Amid Jacob Elordi Casting Reports
Who Cares About Pride And Prejudice's New Darcy? Austen Knew He Was Never The Real Romantic Lead
Tom Hardy Recalls Pride & Prejudice Producer's Very Blunt Reaction To Him Playing Mr Darcy

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Buzz Feed

an hour ago

• Buzz Feed

Haley Kalil's Kids Choice Awards Slime Dress Goes Viral

Haley Kalil might've just worn the coolest dress EVER to Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. If you don't know her, she's a model and influencer with over 30 million combined followers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. She's known for her funny skits and vlogs and collaborating with famous people like Ed Sheeran, Courteney Cox, and the Jonas Brothers. For the awards, which happened last night at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Haley wore an outfit that had Nick kids everywhere screaming with nostalgia. It featured a beige off-shoulder dress with a short train and a long bright green headpiece with shimmering beads and gemstones of varying sizes and colors. It cascaded down Haley's neck and dress, creating the illusion of slime pouring down her body. Haley paired it with an assortment of diamond rings and a layered bracelet to match, along with a set of orange and green slime-themed nails. Here's a closer look: "It's cute!" one fan gushed on Reddit. "Very appropriate for the event." Another agreed, "Kids events should be fun, I like it! A third fan said, "No idea who she is but 10/10 on concept and execution, and she still looks gorge 👏👏👏." While another commented, "She is Looking Camp Right in the Eye 👁️ and I like it." Some especially loved the pairing of the white dress and green headpiece, with one person noting that it "emulate[s] the contrast between a celebrities outfit and the nickelodeon slime." "I think this is cool and creative," someone else added, as different redditor wrote, "Okay now this is fashion I love it." So cool, Haley! Tell me what you think of the look in the comments.

New York Post

2 hours ago

• New York Post

Jam expert Donna Collins trashes Meghan Markle's As Ever apricot spread: ‘There's no excuse for this'

The queen of jam has spoken. Jam expert Donna Collins trashed the new apricot spread from Meghan Markle's As Ever lifestyle brand. 'It's a real disappointment that Meghan is selling a fruit spread, which is what you make when your jam fails,' Collins said, according to the Daily Mail. 9 Donna Collins. The Jelly Queens 9 Meghan Markle cooking in her kitchen. Netflix 'In the jam industry a spread is what we call something that didn't work,' the Jelly Queens owner continued. 'It can have the best ingredients, but if I had a jam that was too runny, I'd slap a label on it and call it a spread.' 'There's no excuse for this,' Collins added. 'It should be perfect.' 9 Meghan Markle in an Instagram video. @meghan/Instagram 9 Meghan Markle making jam with her daughter, Lilibet. The 'MasterChef' alum, who has reportedly won over 40 world championship honors in jam-making competitions, also called out Markle, 43, for her 'conventionally grown apricots, which will have used pesticides.' 'And why is she using pectin, which is a gelling agent, unless it's because her spread was too runny?' Collins asked. 'Most spreads don't use pectin.' 9 Meghan Markle's homemade jam. @heatherdorak/Instagram On Friday, Markle released her new apricot spread in an individual jar for $9 and keepsake packaging for $14. Both items quickly sold out. 'Her apricot spread sold out in minutes, just like her earlier raspberry spread, which may mean they only made a small batch,' Collins surmised. 'I don't know who's making her spread,' the jam guru continued, 'but we all know it's not Meghan. It sounds like they really don't know what they are doing.' 9 Meghan Markle cooking in her kitchen. meghan/Instagram The Post has reached out to Markle's reps for comment. Markle revealed her plans to sell homemade jam after announcing her own lifestyle company last year. The 'Suits' alum even sent out lemon-filled gift baskets containing fresh fruit jam to 50 of her friends last summer. 9 Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Beyonce's Cowboy Carter tour in Los Angeles. Instagram/@meghan 9 Meghan Markle's jam. She ended up releasing fruit spread instead of jam as part of the official launch of her lifestyle brand in April. The other products (which also all sold out) included a limited-edition $28 wildflower honey with honeycomb, $12 herbal teas (hibiscus, peppermint and lemon ginger), $14 crepe mix and shortbread cookies with $15 flower sprinkles. 9 Meghan Markle cooking in her kitchen. @aseverofficial/Instagram Earlier this month, The Sun reported that Markle is looking to add hotels and restaurants to her brand. Markle made her love of hosting known in her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan' which debuted on the streamer in March. Despite negative reviews, the series was renewed for Season 2 as part of Markle and Prince Harry's $100 million deal with Netflix that they signed in 2020.

USA Today

3 hours ago

• USA Today

Alligator on Florida golf course takes victory lap with stolen club

Footage has surfaced showing an alligator traversing a Florida pond while displaying a golf club like a trophy. Presumably, the golfer is OK. The footage, shared by WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt, was captured at an Orlando golf course recently by a WINK viewer named Doug. 'Only in Florida,' Devitt joked via Instagram. 'I'd let him play through.' It's unclear if the alligator stole the club from a bag, if the club had been left near the pond, or if the golfer had tossed the club into the water during a tantrum. It's also unclear if the voice in the audio belongs to the golfer who lost the club. While alligator sightings on Florida golf courses are fairly routine, this was extraordinary. It looks as though the gator is using the club as a snorkel or, as one follower remarked, a periscope. The top Instagram comment, predictably, reads: 'What happened to the golfer?'