Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Are More Fun to Watch When They're Weird

"The highlight of the Wuthering Heights press tour so far has nothing to do with Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, nothing to do with stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's chemistry, and everything to do with Cher. In a moment of organized chaos on The Graham Norton Show, with guests including Robbie and Elordi as well as Amanda Seyfried, Johannes Radebe, and Jacob Alon, Elordi is goaded into doing an impression of the singer, hitting but one single note in the chorus of "Believe.""

"Many a romantic film of late - comedy or otherwise - has marketed itself on the innate chemistry of its two leads. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney briefly convinced the world of an actual affair. Jessie Buckley told Paul Mescal she could " drink him like water." Even if these professional relationships are strictly platonic (and just about all of them are), the press tours start to feel like ads for dating apps: You too could have what they have."

"It feels odd, in turn, to hear Robbie talk about her and her girlfriends " frothing at the mouth like rabid dogs" at the sight of her co-star in the movie. How many times does she have to explain that the scene where Heathcliff shields Cathy's eyes from the rain was based on something Elordi did in real life? Both Robbie and Elordi prove themselves infinitely more likable and compelling as actors and romantic leads when they accentuate what makes them unlike their peers."

An unscripted press-tour moment featured Jacob Elordi singing a single Kermitesque note of Cher's 'Believe' on The Graham Norton Show, provoking laughter and revealing his playful oddness. The clip highlighted Elordi's willingness to be strange and game, a quality suggested as a stronger marketing focus than the film's onscreen romantic chemistry. Recent romantic films have marketed themselves on lead chemistry, creating press tours that resemble dating-app advertisements. Examples include Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney and Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. Margot Robbie's candid clubbing stories and Elordi's quirky anecdotes offer a distinctive, more compelling promotional approach.

Read at Vulture