'Wuthering Heights' goes big on emotion, Margot Robbie says

LONDON - The emotional side of Emerald Fennell's highly anticipated adaptation of Emily Bronte's 1847 novel "Wuthering Heights" may surprise audiences, actor Margot Robbie said as she joined her co-star Jacob Elordi and the film's cast at the movie's rain-lashed London premiere on Thursday.

The film tells the tumultuous love story of Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw and Heathcliff, played by Robbie and Elordi.

The two forge a tight bond from a young age after Catherine's volatile father brings the orphaned Heathcliff home to the misty Yorkshire Moors from his travels. But despite vowing to always stay together, their unruly tempers, misunderstandings and social conventions of the time tear them apart, with toxic consequences.

Newcomer Charlotte Mellington and "Adolescence" star Owen Cooper play the younger versions of the characters.

"Everyone's talking about how steamy it is, but I think people might be surprised about how emotional it is," Robbie, who also produced the movie, said on the red carpet. "It's pretty heart-wrenching, but beautiful. It leaves you with that full feeling, if that makes sense."

Elordi described the experience of making the movie as "the greatest journey" and "a wonderful adventure", saying that his version of the famed literary character was grounded in Fennell's vision.

"I just wanted it to be as, I don't know, sort of, truthful as possible, I suppose. But really, I'm in service to Emerald, so I just wanted to do whatever she wanted with him," said Elordi, who previously starred in Fennell's 2023 film "Saltburn".

His "Saltburn" co-star Alison Oliver, who plays Isabella Linton in "Wuthering Heights", described the movie as a character-driven study of human nature.

"There's a lot of stuff in this film that doesn't happen in the book and especially, I guess, the intimacy that happens between Catherine and Heathcliff," said Oliver, adding of Fennell: "I think she's really examining this sort of deepness and darkness of love and obsession."

Warner Bros WBD.O is releasing "Wuthering Heights", which also features original songs by popstar Charli xcx, internationally from February 11.

-Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Stephen Coates/Reuters