Margot Robbie has played a lot of women who burn bright on the screen, but this time she’s walking into a storm of criticism before the cameras finish rolling. The Wuthering Heights adaptation she stars in and produces has become an online battleground, but Robbie isn’t ducking away from any of it. She’s explaining her casting choices, defending Jacob Elordi’s inclusion, and making it clear that this version of Emily Bronte’s story is unlike anything she’s done before.
Coming off roles like Harley Quinn, Barbie, and Tonya Harding, Margot Robbie is used to characters who stride into a room with immediate confidence and command. Cathy Earnshaw isn’t that. She’s impulsive, feral, and romantic, but also torn open by choices she can’t undo. Robbie told Variety that Cathy is the kind of character who doesn’t live in a tidy emotional space. She’s messy, and that’s why she was drawn to the character.
This Project Looks Nothing Like Robbie’s Past Work
People often forget that Margot Robbie has dynamic cinematic range. Her roles have swung from razor-sharp satire to bombastic comic book surrealism and violent grit. But Cathy is different. She’s not heightened or stylized. She’s real, human, and Robbie described the script as raw and stripped down. It’s nothing like the visionary brightness of Barbie or the dark operatic tone of I, Tonya.
Margot Robbie filmed Wuthering Heights only three months after giving birth, and she told People that she showed up on set without the usual rehearsal process. She said she felt mentally shaken and physically unfamiliar with herself. The director Emerald Fennell told her to use that disorientation during filming because the postpartum posture alone sets this role apart. She walked into the Cathy character with whatever she could muster in the moment, making this role a bold risk.
The Jacob Elordi Casting Backlash and Robbie’s Response
Margot Robbie knew the casting for Wuthering Heights would ignite a reaction. Elordi is tall, elegant, and carries the cool beauty that doesn’t match some readers’ vision of Heathcliff. Critics immediately pointed to the book’s description of Heathcliff as darker, broodier, and ethnically ambiguous. Some argued the film erased every element of who the character was in literature.
Instead of letting the internet roar unchecked, Robbie addressed it directly. She told Variety she understands the protectiveness surrounding the novel. However, she also said the reaction is premature as viewers should wait to see the work before deciding if the film betrayed the original story.
Robbie has been outspoken about Elordi’s performance, calling him intense, relentless, and committed. She said his interpretation leads into Heathcliff’s psychological violence and yearning rather than attempting a literal recreation of the classic’s text. She’s not asking fans to forget the original plot. She’s asking them to let art breathe before attacking it.
Emerald Fennell’s Vision and Why Margot Robbie Backed It
Robbie joined the project because she trusted Emerald Fennell’s take. Fennell isn’t interested in polite period dramas. She wants raw emotions, swear, heartbreak, laughter that snaps at the wrong time, and people who behave like humans rather than curated literary statues.
Fennell approached this film the way she handled Promising Young Woman: with confrontational honesty, not reverence. Margot Robbie said this is the version of Cathy she wanted to play. Not beautiful and aching or filled with wistful nostalgia, but someone who destroys herself in the name of heart-wrenching love and desire.
This Wuthering Heights Adaptation May Surprise Fans Who Think They Know the Story
The 2026 release is shaping up to be a fight between expectations and execution. Margot Robbie is betting audiences will see something visceral instead of a complete literary remake. This is Robbie stepping into a role that refuses to flatter her, and she looks ready for the pushback.