Wuthering Heights Casting Director Responds to Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Backlash

Wuthering Heights characters Catherine and Heathcliff may not be able to live without one another, but the upcoming film’s casting director thinks fans can live without the film’s lead actors looking exactly how they are described in the novel.

After receiving backlash for casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the film, set to be theatrically released Feb. 13, 2026, casting director Kharmel Cochrane is speaking out in defense of the choices.

“If something is clearly written as white, for example, a script reads ‘she tied her blonde hair back,’ but there’s no specific reason for it, I will just put people on tape,” she explained during a Q&A session at the Sands Film Festival in Scotland on April 26. “And then it’s almost like I dare someone to question why I’ve done it, and they don’t. So then it just becomes normal. Years ago, I would get people saying, ‘did you read the brief?’ And I’d say yeah, and this is my interpretation of it, just like when you can read a book.”