by Natasha JokicBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Staff Director Emerald Fennell defended her decision to cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in her upcoming movie Wuthering Heights. Amy Sussman / Getty Images Jacob's casting announcement has continued to draw some backlash, as Heathcliff in the books is written as "dark-skinned." Despite the many instances in the book where the character is described as ethnically ambiguous and experiences ostracism for his skin color, white actors have continued to play the role in adaptations - the notable exception being James Howson, who starred in a 2011 film version.