Jacob Elordi has revealed what it was like working with Adolescence breakout star Owen Cooper, who has dubbed the next Robert De Niro.
Elordi, 27, plays the iconic role of Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's new adaptation of the 1847 Emily Brontë classic gothic romance novel, with Cooper cast as the younger version of the character.
Cooper was catapulted to fame last month in the Netflix drama, where he played the role of 13-year-old Jamie Miller - a teenager accused of violently murdering a female classmate.
Speaking to 10 News First about working with the teenager, the Australian star enthused: “He's a rock star. He's brilliant and he's intimidating.'
“I think the first time I met him I asked ‘Are you nervous mate’ and he went ‘No’ and I thought cool... cool me neither,” he added. “But no he is a tremendous actor.”
He was then asked how he had found the experience of filming Wuthering Heights, to which he said: “It was beautiful. It was amazing. It's a truly epic romance and Emerald Fennel is a genius.”
There have been many film adaptions of the book over the years, with one of the most famous being the 1939 version directed by William Wyler and starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier.
The most recent adaption is the 2011 film by Andrea Arnold, starring Kaya Scodelario and James Howson.
In the latest retelling, Barbie's Margot Robbie is set to play Elordi’s doomed love interest Catherine Earnshaw, known as “Cathy”.
However, both Elordi and Robbie’s casting in the film have faced criticism.
The brooding central character of Heathcliff is described as a “dark-skinned gypsy” with “black eyes”.
Critics have claimed that Elordi - who is known for his role in the darkly comic Saltburn - is not “racially ambiguous” enough for the role.
At 27, Elordi is also considerably younger than Brontë’s vision of Heathcliffe, who is around 40 by the end of the book.
Meanwhile, Robbie at 34 is considerably older than Cathy in the book, who is 18.
Following the release of leaked pictures, there have also been questionmarks raised over the film’s historical accuracy.
In the images, Robbie was seen wearing a billowing white wedding dress and a full face of makeup which online commentors claimed was “too modern”.
