Wuthering Heights Star Says the Film is More Romantic Than Provocative
· BCPosted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: margot robbie, Warner Bros, Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights Star Says the Film is More Romantic Than Provocative
Margot Robbie explains why Emerald Fennell’s new Wuthering Heights is more romantic than raunchy, teasing a messy love story for 2026.
Published Sun, 14 Dec 2025 17:17:03 -0600
by Aedan Juvet
|
Comments
Article Summary
- Margot Robbie stars as Catherine Earnshaw in Emerald Fennell's bold new Wuthering Heights adaptation.
- Robbie says the 2026 film is more romantic than provocative, challenging expectations of raunchiness.
- Director Fennell and Robbie aim for a messy, emotional love story led by women both on and off screen.
- Wuthering Heights debuts in UK cinemas February 11 and in the US February 13, 2026, near Valentine's Day.
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights has been reimagined for screens many times, but Emerald Fennell's upcoming version looks like it has the potential to be one of the most large-scale adaptations yet.
The new film, also titled Wuthering Heights, is currently being described as a Gothic erotic psychological drama and stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw opposite Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. At its core, Fennell's take still follows Brontë's story. Set on the Yorkshire moors, it centers on the intense, often destructive bond between Cathy and Heathcliff, showing how her decision to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton and protect her social standing sends him into a spiral of heartbreak, jealousy, and revenge that haunts the next generation. In a recent deep dive with British Vogue, Robbie pushed back on assumptions that the movie will simply be a steamy provocation.
Margot Robbie on Wuthering Heights Demographic and the "Provocative" Label
She tells the magazine, "Everyone's expecting this to be very, very raunchy. I think people will be surprised. Not to say there aren't sexual elements and that it's not provocative — it definitely is provocative — but it's more romantic than provocative." She later adds, "And it's not just a sex position or someone taking their shirt off. It was the little things that we loved as two women in our 30s, and this movie is primarily for people in our demographic. These epic romances and period pieces aren't often made by women."
At this point, the film is already drawing attention for its casting choices (both positive and negative) and for Fennell's aim to deliver something closer to a sweeping, gut-punch love story than a straight, literary museum piece. Robbie, who also produces through LuckyChap, has already defended the film's bolder swings and praised Elordi as fully embodying Heathcliff, while Fennell has spoken about chasing the kind of emotional impact people associate with more modern romantic touchstones. Between the sheer star power and Robbie's comments about a tone that leans more modern and romantic than some might expect, this Wuthering Heights is defintiely shaping up as a strong fit for anyone who wants their period drama messy, maximal, and driven by women both in front of and behind the camera.
Wuthering Heights arrives in UK cinemas on February 11 and in the US on February 13, 2026, just in time for Valentine's Day.
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!