Why Do Filmmakers Keep Whitewashing Wuthering Heights?

Nadira Begum investigates the trend of directors refusing to engage with the racial politics of Gothic novels when bringing them to the big screen, focusing on the example of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and its canonically brown character Heathcliff, who has been consistently portrayed by white actors. The article also explores the erasure of non-white characters in other Gothic literature adaptations, such as Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled, and how this erasure affects the historical context and meaning of the stories. The upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emerald Fennell is also discussed, with criticism of its casting choices and potential for a twist in the traditional narrative.