Margot Robbie slammed for red carpet ‘gimmick’ to promote Wuthering Heights movie: ‘I hate that she did it’

Margot Robbie has been making a splash while promoting upcoming film Wuthering Heights – but her latest stunt has divided fans.

Robbie, 35, stars opposite Jacob Elordi, 28, as the iconic literary lovers Catherine and Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel.

On Thursday, Robbie looked effortlessly chic in a daring sheer gown with Victorian-era style corset as she took to the red carpet in London to promote the film, which is set for a February 13 release.

But it was her choice of accessory that sparked outrage as Robbie was spotted wearing a mourning bracelet – a piece traditionally worn to commemorate a deceased loved one during the Victorian era.

Robbie’s bangle caught the eye of many fans – who thought it was an original piece of Charlotte Brontë’s jewelry made out of sisters Emily and Anne’s locks.

It was later discovered that she had actually chosen to wear a replica of the bracelet to the premiere – but that didn’t stop people from declaring the fashion piece ‘gimmicky.’

‘Whether the bracelet Margot Robbie wore is authentic isn’t the only issue. Even if it’s not real, what right does she have to be flaunting something so monumental to the Brontës, when the entire Wuthering Heights film is just a bastardized misinterpretation of the entire text?’ one literacy lover ranted.

‘If true, I think this is sad… you lose all agency when you die. This is such a personal piece, it shouldn’t be a promotional gimmick, much less in a movie that doesn’t respect the original material,’ agreed someone else.

Another said they had ‘mixed feelings’ about the accessory, writing: ‘It’s definitely a wonderful tribute but it feels like such a deeply personal and precious object that it shouldn’t even leave a museum display case so as not to ruin its value.’

‘It is a replica. I still hate that she did it though,’ said one user.

‘It gives ick. This isn’t a fashion prop. It’s profoundly personal and should remain private,’ declared another.

Ahead of the film’s release, Robbie and Elordi have displayed their sizzling chemistry in a string of red carpet appearances.

In fact, it has led to some complaints from fans that the duo have taken inspiration from Sydney Sweeney’s ‘PR playbook,’ after she put on a similarly cozy display with co-star Glen Powell in 2023 to promote their film Anyone But You.

Elordi recently raised eyebrows during a press interview when he declared the pair had a ‘mutual obsession’ while filming.

Speaking to Fandango, with his co-star sitting nearby, he said he made sure he was never more than 30 feet away from the Barbie actress on set.

‘If you have the opportunity to share a film set with Margot Robbie, you’re going to make sure you’re within five to ten meters (15 to 30 feet) at all times,’ he declared. 

‘Watching how she drinks tea, how she eats her food. When is it going to slip? And it never comes undone.’

The Frankenstein added that their mutual ‘obsession’ helped with getting into character.

‘There’d be a moment where we’d be running hand-in-hand through the moors, maybe not even in the scene, just setting it up, where I’d look across at her and she’d be looking at me and you really realized you are looking at Catherine and she was looking at Heathcliff,’ he said.

‘And in that moment, we really were a part of their love, for real.’

Meanwhile Robbie also claimed that she became ‘co-dependent’ on Elordi.

‘I’m so codependent with people I work with and I love everyone so much and I’m always that person who’s so devastated when a job’s over and I never want it to end,’ she gushed.

‘I think I developed that quite quickly with Jacob too.’