Jacob Elordi has admitted to being intimidated by his younger doppelganger, Owen Cooper, during the shoot of Emerald Fennell‘s take on ‘Wuthering Heights.’ Cooper, who recently gained acclaim for his appearance in ‘Adolescence,’ played the young Heathcliff, a role later taken up by Elordi.
In an interview on 10 News First, Elordi complimented Cooper on his talent, saying, “He’s a rock star. He’s brilliant, and he’s intimidating.” He remembered the first time they met, when he nervously asked Cooper if he got the jitters. “He just said, ‘No,'” Elordi said, laughing, “and I thought, cool. Cool, me neither.”
Cooper’s performance as Jamie Miller in ‘Adolescence,’ a teen murder suspect, has elicited critical comparisons to young Robert De Niro. His grown-up performance has made him a Hollywood up-and-comer.
Elordi called ‘Wuthering Heights’ a “beautiful” project and complimented director Emerald Fennell as “a genius.” He stresses that shooting ‘Wuthering Heights’ has been a special experience.
However, Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff has stirred debate, with some arguing he doesn’t align with the character’s “racially ambiguous” description from Emily Brontë’s novel.
The star-studded cast also includes Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw. Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap, is behind the film, marking another collaboration with Fennell after ‘Saltburn’ and ‘Promising Young Woman.’
The casting has had a mixed reaction. While some are welcoming of the diverse cast—Shazad Latif and Hong Chau among them in central roles—others have knocked the casting of actors who “look like they belong on Instagram” for a tale told in the harsh Yorkshire moors of the 1800s.
In spite of the controversy, hype for ‘Wuthering Heights’ continues, fueled by its star power and director’s track record. With Owen Cooper’s debut performance and Jacob Elordi’s seal of approval, the adaptation is set to deliver a new interpretation of the timeless love story.
