Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Emerald Fennell, ‘Wuthering Heights,’ also known as ‘”Wuthering Heights,”‘ traverses the complex love story of Catherine “Cathy” Earnshaw and Heathcliff as they slowly spiral out of control in a dangerous game of passion. When Heathcliff is first introduced into the family as a child, he is nameless, orphaned, and can hardly speak a word. That slowly changes as his friendship with Catherine deepens, and while the two eventually fall in love, neither has the courage to confess their feelings out loud. However, when Catherine’s romantic desires come into conflict with the kind of life she wants, trouble begets trouble.
Heathcliff, reminded of a world of difference between her and him, begins a tragic arc of his own, one that is expressed both psychologically and physically, through the shifts in his look and design. In adapting Emily Brontë’s eponymous novel into this gothic romance movie, then, a fresh perspective on Heathcliff’s physicality is introduced to the screen.
Jacob Elordi Sports an Artificial Beard While Essaying Heathcliff in the Movie
For his role in ‘Wuthering Heights,’ actor Jacob Elordi relies on a wig and prosthetic beard, with an expert team of makeup artists helping Heathcliff come to life. The film explores three distinct phases in Heathcliff’s life, beginning with his childhood, followed by what director Emerald Fennell has playfully dubbed “Jesus Elordi” and “Darcy Elordi.” The second look in this list requires a rustic and overgrown appearance, and for the movie’s hair and makeup department head, Sian Miller, this was a perfect challenge. “He’s grown up in the stables, and he should be unkempt. He’s going to hide slightly behind his hair,” Miller explained in a conversation with Variety.
To get the “Jesus Elordi” look just right, work began early. A few months before filming, Miller asked Elordi to “grow everything,” and while the actor returned a few months later with a beard, the filming schedule didn’t quite align. Fennell intended to film the latter parts of the movie first, which meant focusing on the sections where Heathcliff gets a clean-shaven, dapper appearance. Still, determined to preserve Elordi’s bearded look, Miller convinced Fennell to use a fake beard down the line. Reportedly, Miller then recreated the beard through prosthetics by attaching each individual hair by hand. However, in order to survive the wind and rain sequences, the beard had to be durable enough, which meant several rounds of testing.
Heathcliff’s Long, Scruffy Hair is Actually a Hand-Crafted Wig
Just like the beard, Elordi’s long hair is also a wig in reality, created by a team of professionals at the company Samuel James Wigs. The team described it as a textured look that weaves its way into the larger story, which is fitting because of just how realistic the wig looks on screen. While Elordi sports a wig as well as a prosthetic beard for a huge chunk of the movie, it’s the complete absence of them, in the “Darcy Elordi” phase, that comes as a jolt for the viewers. In a way, Heathcliff’s look and aesthetics are an intrinsic part of his storytelling, which makes the work of the makeup and prosthetics team all the more commendable.
Notably, this is not Jacob Elordi’s first time undergoing a transformation for a role; in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein,’ the actor famously sports a complete prosthetic-based look, with as many as 42 prosthetic pieces reportedly fitted to his body. Naturally, this meant relying on a wig and artificial hair prosthetics that were individually punched into the many moving pieces of Elordi’s facial makeup. While there are stylistic overlaps between how the Creature is designed in ‘Frankenstein’ and how Heathcliff looks in this movie, the guiding creative forces are ultimately different. ‘Wuthering Heights’ goes for a series of subtle augmentations that preserve Elordi’s real features across time, making the filming and viewing process a deeply rewarding experience.
Read More: Where Was Wuthering Heights (2026) Filmed? All Shooting Locations
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