In the original story, Catherine’s older brother’s contempt and growing vengeance for Heathcliff are major factors in the tragic events that impact all the characters. On the surface, it may seem like a rogue choice to get rid of the story’s main villain, but Emerald explained to us why she made such a bold decision, and it makes a lot of sense.
Describing Hindley as “extremely violent, jealous, spiteful”, Emerald told us that she’s always viewed him as more of a “narrative tool” than a multifaceted, relatable character. “He’s one of the only characters that I feel that Brontë doesn’t really extend any grace to. I always find that quite difficult when you’re looking at making a kind of drama. You can have an outright villain in a novel. You can have somebody who tries to throw a baby off a bannister.” She joked, before going on to share that she’s always looking to explore tension in characters who viewers still have sympathy for, no matter how reprehensible they are. While her choice has got the literature fans up in arms, getting rid of Hindley leaves room for other changes that make “Wuthering Heights” feel like a fresh take on the familiar story, which also gives the film room to explore the depths of other characters.
