Netizens Have Mixed Reactions to Margot Robbie's 'Codependent' Bond With Jacob Elordi on 'Wuthering Heights'

Margot Robbie has faced criticism for the way she described her bond with co-star Jacob Elordi on the set of Wuthering Heights, with social media users divided over her characterisation of their working relationship.

Robbie made the comments in an interview with Fandango alongside Elordi and their fellow cast members for the upcoming film adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel. When asked whether she thought the love between the two characters was sustainable in real life, Robbie said she did not, noting that the dynamic contributed to the tragic ending. She then described her on-set relationship with Elordi as 'codependent', saying: 'I'm so co-dependent with people I work with and I love everyone so much. I think I developed that quite quickly with Jacob too.'

Robbie Describes On-Set Experience With Elordi

Robbie shared how Elordi would hover around the set for the first several days of filming. She said she started to get used to seeing Elordi around until he stopped doing it, which left her feeling unsettled.

'I found myself starting to look around to see where he was,' shared Robbie. 'I was really unnerved and unmoored. And I felt quite lost, like a kid without their blanket or something...I found myself so dependent, co-dependent, kind of...'

Public Response Divided

Following Robbie's comments, social media users had divided reactions. While some criticised the way Robbie described their on-set bond, others seemed to agree with her. Several users on TikTok joked about how Robbie came across in the interview as smitten with Elordi.

Others cited the age gap between Robbie and Elordi, as well as how 'codependent' is more associated with toxic relationships. Many comments mentioned how Robbie and Elordi's respective partners must feel, especially as Robbie is married and has a child.

Fennell's Vision for Wuthering Heights

The adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emerald Fennell has received backlash since Robbie and Elordi were cast as the two leads, Catherine and Heathcliff. Fennell stressed that the upcoming film is a loose take on the story and that she was making the film based on how she felt when she first read the novel.

Fennell, who previously directed Saltburn and Promising Young Woman, has stressed that the upcoming film is a loose interpretation rather than a faithful adaptation. The director said she was making the film based on her visceral reaction to first reading Brontë's 1847 novel as a young woman.

'I wanted to make something that made me feel like I felt when I first read it, which means that it's an emotional response to something. It's like primal, sexual,' Fennell said at the time. The director has described her version as focusing on the obsessive, destructive passion between Catherine and Heathcliff rather than the novel's complex multigenerational narrative.

Fennell has also defended the casting choices of Robbie and Elordi, saying that she felt Robbie was similar to what she imagined Catherine to be like. The director has previously stated that she was drawn to the characters' 'feral' quality and their refusal to conform to societal expectations—themes that align with her previous work exploring toxic relationships and power dynamics.