Margot Robbie is facing fierce criticism after photos from the Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights set surfaced this week.
The 34-year-old actress, famous for her roles in Barbie, The Suicide Squad, and The Wolf of Wall Street, is bringing the role of Catherine Earnshaw to life in the 2025 version of Emily Brontë’s classic novel.
Fans of the book, however, have taken to social media to express their disapproval of Robbie’s version, feeling less than thrilled with her casting and costume.
“Seeing Margot Robbie in that godawful dress just ruined my entire week,” one viewer wrote, having issues with the actress’ age for the role, as well as calling the wedding dress “inappropriate.”
Wuthering Heights fans are saying Margot Robbie will “ruin” the 2025 adaptation after set images leak
Leaked images from the UK set show the actress clad in a dramatic off-the-shoulder white gown with a voluminous skirt, which many viewers felt was period-accurate.
The story of Wuthering Heights is set in Yorkshire, a region in the north of England. The story is told through flashbacks, with the “present” part of the story taking place in the early 1800s and the retrospective elements of the plot taking place 30 years earlier, in the 1770s.
The famous wedding scene takes place in 1783, approximately three years after Catherine’s parents have passed away. The protagonist makes the pivotal decision to marry Edgar Linton, the good-mannered aristocrat counterpart to her other romantic interest, the anti-hero Heathcliff.
Catherine is approximately 18 years old at that point in the story which, considering Margot Robbie’s age, has made fans preemptively question the accuracy and attention to detail of the 2025 adaptation.
Jacob Elordi, who plays Heathcliff, has also been targeted by fans who feel he lacks the intensity necessary to properly portray the revenge-obsessed character.
“First, they cast Margot Robbie, who’s clearly too old for the role, and now they’ve gone and cast a Heathcliff who looks like he belongs on Instagram,” one user wrote.
Supporters asked netizens to be patient and to trust in Margot Robbie’s talent and track record as an actress
Not all comments have been negative, however, with more supportive viewers asking netizens to be patient and wait for the first trailers to form their opinions.
Supporters point to Margot Robbie’s talent as an actress, as well as make-up and post-production techniques that could help her more convincingly embody all aspects of her character’s life, as reasons not to worry.
“Why can’t people just wait for the film? Everyone kept saying she was the wrong choice to play Barbie and that it would flop, yet it was a huge success,” one user wrote.
On the other hand, Elordi’s casting has been praised on account of his physical appearance and the resemblance he has to his character’s looks as described in the book.
Heathcliff is described as having a racial likeness to the wandering Romani people, with dark hair, eyes, and skin. While Elordi is on the paler side in terms of skin color, he nevertheless possesses features that could allow him to accurately portray the character’s “Gypsy-like” look.
The book has been adapted numerous times over the years, with casting choices varying in their faithfulness each time
Seeing Margot Robbie as Catherine from wuthering heights in that godawful dress just ruined my entire week pic.twitter.com/QcixKmHTBY
— aurora 🍓 (@lynchianbush) March 23, 2025
Despite the uproar, this is not the first time Wuthering Heights has faced scrutiny for its casting choices.
Having been adapted over 20 times for film and television, in various countries and formats, the characters have been depicted in a wide variety of ways over the years.
lord knows i like margot robbie a lot so this isn’t about her personally but something about casting someone in their 30s as a character who dies at 18 (EIGHTEEN) years old is really odd. the prematurity of cathy’s death is a whole turning point in the story https://t.co/oWI4UwWWFw
— sarah ♏︎ (@audreywhornee) March 23, 2025
The controversy surrounding Elordi’s casting, for instance, pales in comparison to the decision made in 2009 to cast Tom Hardy as Heathcliff, whose looks differ considerably from the character’s description.
i barely read anymore but wuthering heights is one of my favourite books and the book i ALWAYS came back to and emerald fennell, jacob elordi and margot robbie are RUINING it. i hate them so bad! pic.twitter.com/1bUEPDmwtk
— taylor misses amad (@amadsdiallo) March 23, 2025
Similarly, in 2011, the character was portrayed by Black actor James Howson, emphasizing the “dark-skinned” aspect of Heathcliff but diverging from his Romani-inspired origins.
Some people are more mad at Margot not being “age appropriate” in wuthering heights than they are about a white man playing a person of color pic.twitter.com/vNSBGa3nXC
— r. (@harleenquinzels) March 23, 2025
Director Emerald Fennell has also been targeted by critics, with some questioning whether she fully understands the complexities of Brontë’s novel. Many pointed towards her work on 2023’s Saltburn as evidence of her style being ill-fitted for the period piece.
Saltburn elicited controversy after its release for being “filled with an abundance of viral scenes,” many of which depicted intimate acts in ways deemed “gross” or “repulsive” by viewers.
Wuthering Heights is set to be released on February 13, 2026, coinciding with Valentine’s Day celebrations.
“They need to recast.” Disappointed fans took to social media to express their anger over the film’s casting
