'Wuthering Heights' Finds Its Young Heathcliff In 'Adolescence' Breakout Owen Cooper
Owen Cooper in "Adolescence"
(Photo: Netflix)
There's lots to unpack when it comes to the new Netflix drama Adolescence, from its depiction of incel culture and teen bullying to its decision to leave its female victim on the sidelines of its larger story. But there's one thing we can all agree on, and that's that newcomer Owen Cooper is incredible. The role of Jamie Miller, a teen accused of stabbing a female classmate to death, is his professional acting debut, and Cooper was just fourteen at the time it was filmed. If you've seen the show, then you doubtless understand the endless stream of raves he's earned from critics and viewers alike, and you won't be surprised to learn that the future is very bright indeed for this young actor.
Cooper's already booked his next role, and it's kind of a big deal: He'll be portraying the young Heathcliff in director Emerald Fennell's (Saltburn) forthcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights. And this isn't a bit part, either. For those who are unfamiliar with Emily Brontë's novel, the story revolves around the tortured and often toxic romance between Catherine Earnshaw and the orphan Healthcliff and is told across multiple timelines that detail the scope of their love. Teenage Heathcliff and Cathy grow up together, and the relationship between their younger selves is the foundation of the book's story.
Charlotte Mellington, who recently starred as Lavender in the West End production of Matilda: The Musical, will play the teenage Cathy, with Vy Nguyen set to play the younger Nelly Dean, who serves as narrator in the story.
Jacob Elordi (Saltburn) and Margot Robbie (Barbie) are set to play the adult Heathcliff and Cathy, with Hong Chau (The Night Agent) as the older version of Nelly Dean. Shazad Latif (The Pursuit of Love) plays Edgar Linton, the wealthy aristocrat who marries Cathy, while Alison Oliver (Best Interests) is his sister Isabella Linton who, in turn, weds Heathcliff. (It's a Brontë story, just go with it.)
Wuthering Heights has already sparked a fair amount of discourse online, largely surrounding its casting of leads. Critics have complained about everything from the fact that neither of them particularly resembles Brontë's physical descriptions of their characters to the fact that Elordi's casting means that Fennell intends to ignore the modern school of thought that is most interested in exploring Heathcliff's mixed-race heritage. But this is hardly the only controversy that Fennell has found herself in as a filmmaker, and is unlikely to be the last. (Or even the last involving this particular film!)
The film will be written, directed, and produced by Fennell. MRC, the studio behind Saltburn, has tapped Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment to produce, and filming is reportedly underway in the U.K.
Wuthering Heights is scheduled to premiere in theaters on February 14, 2026.
