“Wuthering Heights” fans are already up in arms over Emerald Fennell‘s adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel.
Controversy ensued when the two “Wuthering Heights” leads were first announced, with Jacob Elordi reuniting with his “Saltburn” writer/director to play Heathcliff and Margot Robbie (who produced Fennell’s prior two films through her LuckyChap banner) as Catherine. Was Robbie too old to play teen Catherine? Was Elordi the wrong casting for a character described in the novel as being “dark-skinned gipsy in aspect”? Add in the historically inaccurate wedding gown that Robbie wears in a first look at the film, and it seemed for some that the Brontë adaptation skewed from its source.
Now, “Wuthering Heights” casting director Kharmel Cochrane is defending her picks — and warning audiences that future reveals could social media into even more of a tizzy.
“There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy,” Cochrane said while at the Sands Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland, per Deadline. “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.”
Cochrane added, “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.”
As for the alleged whitewashing, Cochrane said that she prefers racially blind casting.
“If something is clearly written as white, for example, a script reads ‘she tied her blonde hair back,’ but there’s no specific reason for it, I will just put people on tape,” Cochrane said. “And then it’s almost like I dare someone to question why I’ve done it, and they don’t. So then it just becomes normal. Years ago, I would get people saying, ‘Did you read the brief?’ And I’d say yeah, and this is my interpretation of it, just like when you can read a book.”
Hong Chau, “Saltburn” alum Alison Oliver, and Shazad Latif also star in “Wuthering Heights.” Warner Bros. opens the film February 13, 2026.
Cochrane said that along with Fennell, her favorite directors to work with include Robert Eggers, Alex Garland, and Lena Dunham.
“We’ve just got a really good thing going. And I genuinely feel safe in my workplace with them,” she said. “I feel like I can say to them, ‘Oh, look what if we do this,’ and I’m not worried about getting fired, because that is a real fear, especially when you’re on some of the studio stuff. I got fired recently. I don’t want to work like that. I can’t do my best work if I’m scared to offer an opinion.”
