Emerald Fennell regrets cutting Margot Robbie's unshaven armpit scene

Director Emerald Fennell expressed regret over cutting a scene showing Margot Robbie's unshaven armpits in her Wuthering Heights film. She emphasized the importance of historical authenticity, noting women in the 1840s lacked modern grooming tools.

Actor and filmmaker Emerald Fennell has revealed that she regrets removing a scene featuring Margot Robbie's unshaven armpits from her adaptation of Wuthering Heights, saying it would have added historical authenticity to the period drama, according to People.

Speaking at the Hay Festival in Wales, Fennell reflected on the creative decisions behind the film, which was released in theatres in February 2026 and is an adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel. The director said she had intentionally wanted Robbie's character, Cathy, to appear with visible body hair, noting that women in the era depicted in the story would not have had access to modern grooming practices.

Quest for Historical Authenticity

Fennell recalled often being distracted by the unrealistic appearance of women in period dramas. "Where are the razors that these women are using?" she said while discussing adaptations of Jane Austen novels. "They're all kind of hairless like eels. I'm like: 'What's going on? It's completely mad.'"

English women only began commonly using safety razors for body hair removal in the early 1900s, long after Bronte's novel was first published in 1847, as per the outlet. For that reason, Fennell said it was "so important" for her to depict Cathy's body hair accurately. "Unfortunately, the scene that we see them didn't make it in there," she added.

Creative Liberties and Viewer Debate

Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights sparked debate over several creative liberties, including Cathy's elaborate costumes, the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, and significant changes to the original storyline.

However, the filmmaker previously defended her interpretation, saying it was inspired more by her teenage memories of reading the novel than by strict literary accuracy. "So it is Wuthering Heights, but it isn't," Fennell said in an earlier interview with Fandango published in January. "The thing for me is you can't adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book. What I can say is I'm making a version of it," according to People.

Wuthering Heights is currently streaming on HBO Max.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)