Everything I’ve heard and seen from Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights has horrified me. As I said previously, the most worrying aspect of this film adaptation is that people who haven’t read the book will see the movie and actually believe that’s what the story is. Apparently, Fennell did not give a f–k about period-detail accuracy, and she’s tried to do that thing of adding super-modern touches within the film. Like, Heathcliff apparently has a diamond grill?? That came up in Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s Vogue Australia cover interview. They got two covers, and whatever I think of WH adaptation (trash), these are two beautiful, photogenic people who look good together. Is that enough to carry Wuthering Heights? Eh. You can read the interview here – there’s a lot of cross-talk and Australia references, so I’m only doing a few excerpts:
Margot on the fact that they’re both Aussies: “I mean, it is kind of hilarious that two Queenslanders are the lead of this iconic British literary classic. Because we’re not even from Sydney, you know? Everyone in Australia’s probably like, ‘These couple of bogans…’”
Elordi on trying to get his break: “I remember there was a period where I was thinking if I just hang out around Movie World, maybe I’ll get cast. Maybe someone from the studios would walk past, having a cigarette.”
Margot on what Elordi did for Valentine’s Day: “We were shooting on Valentine’s Day. You made my day and, as Heathcliff, filled my room with roses and it was so cute…I remember thinking on Valentine’s Day, oh he’s probably a very good boyfriend, ’cause there’s a lot of thoughtfulness in this. You did a lot of very thoughtful things. It wasn’t just the gesture of the roses, it was the thing written from Heathcliff, and that little tombstone thing. I was like, ah, crafts! Love that. It was crafty, it was meaningful, it was dramatic.”
Elordi on Saltburn vs. WH: “I had a completely different experience. First of all, I started in January. I hadn’t done London like that before. When we shot Saltburn, it was that one summer where the sun was out the whole time. I didn’t expect to get so out of sorts. Waking up every day, it’s so dark and so cold. I think I was base-level depressed…Saltburn allowed for a lot of improv. There’s a language to this you can’t really step around. I think I also knew what she wanted from Heathcliff, and I really wanted to be able to bring it. On Saltburn, I could be whoever I wanted. But because she had asked me to make [Wuthering Heights], she just texted me and said, ‘Will you do this?’ It was the first time I’d been like, I don’t know if I’m good enough. Cause I really love her. I really love her. I usually don’t think about letting someone down, and I really didn’t want to let her down. So, the first three weeks, I would go home and I had the greatest amount of doubt I’ve probably ever had. Then, when that went away, it started to feel like Saltburn again, when I let go and relinquished a little bit, because I was holding it so tightly. Like, it’s Heathcliff. It has to be Heathcliff. And then I started to understand the movie more.”
Margot on her prep for Cathy: “I don’t think I’ve ever gone that far into the movie and been like, I don’t have the character yet. Usually I do so much prep, and I did prep a lot this time, but, you know, less. I’m such a loser! I’m such a dork. I love to colour code [the script] though. It helps me, honestly. I colour-coded my script. I went through everything and I mapped it all out to a different colour. When she was with Heathcliff, it was always pink to red. The closer you were, the stronger the pink-red colour would be. Then the further you were, I would be more blue. Emerald would always say, ‘I don’t want you to prep like you normally prep. I don’t want you to be thinking about backstory and what’s happening five scenes from now. Cathy is always in the room that she’s in.’ I was like, okay, got it. ’Cause she does not consider consequences, ever. Clearly!”
Elordi also said some sweet things about being a teenager in Brisbane and his drama teacher talking about how Margot had already made it, and Jacob felt like “well, if this Gold Coast girl can conquer Hollywood, so can I,” basically. It’s an Aussie thing – people sort of look down on people from the Gold Coast. From what I understand (???), it would be like someone from an Alabama trailer park becoming a major star (similar to Channing Tatum?). Anyway, it’s so bizarre – I like Margot and Jacob a great deal as actors, but I think WH is going to be painfully bad. Their chemistry will not save it. Speaking of:
Covers courtesy of Vogue Australia.
