Top Movie During Holiday Weekend Was Very Whitewashed and Ignored Heathcliff’s True Identity

By Rob Redding

Editor & Publisher

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2026, 5:30 p.m. —You’ve probably seen countless adaptations of Wuthering Heights but have you ever paused to think about Heathcliff’s true identity.

In Emily Brontë’s novel Heathcliff is described as a “dark-skinned gypsy” with black hair and eyes A character whose racial background is ambiguous but clearly non-white Scholars point out that his origins in Liverpool a major slave-trade port and his outsider status in the story are clues to his Romani South Asian or African descent

This “othering” isn’t just background flavor it’s central to understanding his character Heathcliff’s race is a key reason he’s treated as an outsider and faces prejudice fueling his desire for revenge and shaping his destiny

Yet many film and stage adaptations cast white actors in the role erasing this racial dimension Recently Emerald Fennell’s casting of Jacob Elordi sparked controversy accused of ignoring Heathcliff’s racial identity and the themes of racial prejudice woven into the story

Whitewashing Heathcliff isn’t just about casting choices it’s about silencing the story’s deeper truths Representation matters Recognizing Heathcliff’s racial identity helps us honor the novel’s full complexity and confront the prejudices it critiques

Let’s remember Wuthering Heights is more than a love story it’s a reflection on otherness race and societal prejudice Casting choices should respect that

During the holiday weekend in the United States which included Valentine’s Day on Saturday and Presidents’ Day on Monday Wuthering Heights was the top movie according to Comscore which compiles box office data The film’s audience was roughly 76 percent female and 68 percent white according to PostTrak a film industry research service Ticket buyers gave it a B grade in CinemaScore exit polls

The film has galloped toward a global ticket sales total of $82 million dollars Warner Bros spent an estimated $80 million dollars on the R-rated romance directed by Emerald Fennell not including hefty marketing costs

Emerald Fennell’s lacquered new take on Wuthering Heights was on pace to sell roughly 40 million dollars in tickets from Friday through Monday in the United States and Canada according to Warner Bros which distributed the film The movie starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi was expected to take in an additional $42 million dollars over that period overseas giving Ms. Fennell’s film a pulse-pounding 82 million dollar global debut

Rob Redding is the author of No. 1 best selling book Black Power in the Age of Artificial Supremacy Featuring Redding-Shim Kwet Yung . He is the bestselling author of 18 books. He is the host of Redding News Review Unrestricted and creator of ReddingNewsReview.com. He is also an emerging visual artist who lives and teaches at two colleges in New York City.