Wuthering Heights Review: Bad Casting Choices Shatter the Story’s Core Meaning

Wuthering Heights: What Emerald Fennell Changed explores how the filmmaker’s stylized adaptation transforms Emily Brontë’s classic romance into something far more modern — and far more divisive.

Fennell has openly framed her film as a personal, emotional memory of reading the novel, not a strict retelling. That approach leads to vivid cinematography, heightened sexuality, and dramatic departures from the source material. Key figures like Hindley are minimized, central motivations are altered, and Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship takes on a very different tone in adulthood.

Perhaps most debated is the casting and how it reframes the novel’s themes of race, class, and social power. In Brontë’s original text, external pressures shape the tragedy. In Fennell’s version, those pressures feel internalized — shifting the story from a sweeping social tragedy to a more intimate, romantic drama.

We break down the biggest adaptation changes, the impact of casting Margot Robbie as Cathy, and why this interpretation has sparked conversation about race, romanticism, and literary faithfulness. If you’ve wondered how this Wuthering Heights compares to the book, this is the breakdown you need.

0:00 Fennell’s “Emotional Recall” Approach
0:38 Visual Style and Tone Shift
1:25 Hindley and Character Omissions
2:05 Casting Heathcliff and Its Impact
2:55 How the Themes Change

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Video by: Gregory Nussen & Kem Ramirez

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