Natalie Portman Set for 'Wuthering Heights'

I agree with you. I am a die-hard Natalie Portman fan, and she is indeed, one of the premiere actresses of her generation, however, I'm not sure if she fits the part. I'm excited to see how she arises to the challenge though.

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Casting Natalie Portman is a double-edged sword. On one side, I think she could play a real terror and play it well. I don't think she has been given the meaty roles which require a vicious personality. Those go (rightfully) to Kate Winslet, who is my first choice despite her being too old now to play her. But I think Natalie Portman has the ability to pull it off. But the other side of the sword is that Portman is young and "in" and one of the beautiful people in Hollywood and casting the leading man to play Heathcliff just seems like a set-up for casting a sub-par actor. Portman's male age group in Hollywood leaves much to be desired, and the fact that we're talking about Yorkshire in England and Portman, an American who cannot do an English accent as evidenced by 'Vendetta' suggests Americanizing a distinctly English novel is irritating. Therefore, I think if I am going to chose an actor who can pull off the flare needed, I would honestly have to suggest either Christian Bale or Cillian Murphy. Mostly Bale because he's extraordinary and could pull off the twisted side of Heathcliff easily. But Portman will have to really be intense lest she come across as merely a whimpering child - Catherine is a brat and selfish but she is not weak and the last thing the film needs is Portman trying to make Catherine appear weaker and oppressed by Heathcliff.

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My sister loves the Olivier version. It's one of her all time favourite films.

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i too am highly obsessed with this novel.. and if the timing isn't weird enough, i just finished re-reading it. i hadn't touched the book in 4 years.. and look now they are releasing the movie.

incidently i heard rumors that the original girl attached to an adaption was keira knightly. i don't think i could see her playing cathy. she pouts a little too much for me.. perhaps cathy pouts. surely cathy pouts, but not the way i imagine keira to. i think natalie could do well in this role. she needs to be given something really really meaty to grapple with and there isn't a tougher character to undersatnd than catherine. i LOVE LOVE LOVE the part where catherine says
""If all else perished, and HE remained, i should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: i would not seem a part of it. my love for linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it. i'm sell aware, as winter changes the trees. my love for heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary."

i hope natalie doesn't mess up. i love her too much to hate her for messing up this movie...

as for male leads.. this is indeed difficult. i kind of hope they cast an unknown.. but i think christian bale would be great. ever seen american psycho? heathcliffe is indeed a psycho.. less freaky but equally menacing.

**also. it's so true that kate winslet would have been FABULOUS. she can do it all. she really can.. i don't think angelina jolie could do this role it requires too much.. emotion in the sense of passionate rage, and i acn't see her act that, even though i love her too.. can we turn back time and get kate?

sorry this was so rambled..

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My biggest problem isn't Natalie's acting chops...I'm sure she could pull off psychotic very well. I still mostly have a problem with the age. She's still too old to be Cathy. (Though it IS an improvement on the other movie versions, of which I've seen SIX. The actresses who've played Cathy have all been much too old, one of them being 37!) Cathy ranges in age from a child, to twelve when she meets the Lintons, to fifteen when she becomes engaged, eighteen when she marries, and nineteen when she dies.
Natalie is actually one actress who I've thought could pull off the role, because she is an excellent actress, and I hope I'm right. As for who I think should play Heathcliff to Natalie's Catherine...I'd say Colin Farrell. Excellent actor, and even has that sort of gypsy look about him. I think he could pull off Heathcliff VERY well.
From what I've read in the past about this movie version...(and I've been keeping an eye on it since I heard about it a year or so ago) the producers wanted to bring out the "youth" of the characters, and Heathcliff's possible origins as a foreigner. I heard another rumor, (and I don't know if it's true or not, so don't panic yet, it might be completely false) that they've updated the story, and set it closer to London on the docks. I hope beyond hope that that is false.

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Sorry to say, I don't see any of the above actors appropriate for Heathcliff. This has always been my favorite book and I, too, recently re-read it. As I did, I pictured one actor only for the role of Heathcliff- Johnny Depp. I don't believe his age would affect his ability to play the character at all. In fact, I think he would pull this off beautifully- he's the only person I can think of who can make you love and hate a character at the same time- and that's what Heathcliff does. Charlize Theron comes to mind- again she could manage the age appropriately- after all, the woman is gorgeous and looks younger than her age. She has also proven that she can play deep, intense, psychotic roles perfectly. Kiera Knightly could probably do a decent version, especially if supported by Depp's exceptional abilities.

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I LOVE Wuthering Heights. I've taught it two semesters in a row for a freshman composition class and was pleasantly surprised at how much my students liked a book that is from so long ago. They just didn't know what to do about Heathcliff! Love him? Hate him? Feel sorry for him? It's all so confusing!
I think Portman will be good because I think she can look frail and still be a stone cold b*tch if she wants to. As for Heathcliff, I would love it if Jim Sturgess, of 21 and Across the Universe, played him. I think he would play the hell out of the role and is the perfect age. Johnny Depp would be my first choice but I think he's a bit too old for Portman. How about the other characters - Linton, Hindley or Isabella?

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ooooh! i liked someone else's suggestion of christian bale as heathcliff and cillian murphy as hindley. good one! how about scarlett johansson as isabella?

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As an actor, Joaquin Phoenix has demonstrated the requisite cruelty required for Heathcliff... also his personal life has shades of living on the fringes of society that he always seems to bring to his characters.

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I vote for Emily Mortimer to take on the role of Catherine Earnshaw. She has a combination of sweetness and strength as she showed in 'Dear Frankie'. Also, I agree the Gerard Butler would be perfect for the role of 'Heathcliffe'. His performance of 'The Phantom of the Opera' was spellbinding. "Heathcliffe" always reminds me of Butler's 'Phantom'.
There is an excellent version of 'Wuthering Heights' on VHS, with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliffe, and Juliette Binoche as Catherine.
This version is more faithfull to the book than the 1939 version with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. Fiennes performance was much closer to how I imagined Heathcliffe when I read the book.
He was very dashing and also frightening. This version is quite excellent.

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.....Emmy Rosen from 'Phantom' would also make a perfect 'Catherine'.....

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