#casting-controversy

#casting-controversy

The production has received backlash for the casting of Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, with critics calling for a Black actor to play the latter character, described in the book as having dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. Fennell explained her decisions, recalling the moment she wanted to scream when she saw Elordi with sideburns on the Saltburn set, as he reminded her of Dirk Bogarde and looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read.

The attention-seeking Boston-born influencer wife of Alec Baldwin, who bizarrely spent a decade trying to pass herself off as being from Spain, certainly has some stiff competition in this category. Over the past 20 years, the dance competition show has spotlighted celebrities, sports stars and even political figures who have been mired in various controversies and other questionable behavior before they ended up on the show.

Critics argue the decision to replace a barrier-breaking Asian actor with a white successor in a production of Asian authorship sends a disheartening message and reflects a broader pattern of exclusion.