Margot Robbie has revealed her initial apprehension about filming “Wuthering Heights” a mere three months after giving birth, while also opening up about the film’s intimate scenes.

The 35-year-old Australian actress is set to portray Cathy in Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic, starring opposite Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Fans of both the author and the director are eagerly anticipating a passionate rendition of the story.

After the release of Emerald’s provocative film “Saltburn,” Margot acknowledged that while audiences might be expecting intensely steamy moments, it was actually the more tender interactions with Jacob that left a lasting impression on her.

In an interview with British Vogue, Margot shared her feelings about diving back into work so soon after the birth of her son in October 2024 with husband Tom Ackerley. She also praised Emerald for helping to ease her nerves during the process.

Alongside the interview, Margot graced a photoshoot sporting a variety of avant-garde outfits in stunning locations, showcasing her impeccable style.

Margot Robbie has told British Vogue she was fearful about shooting Wuthering Heights when she was just three months postpartum and shed light on her steamy scenes

Margot looked incredible in a new photoshoot wearing this sequin bandeau top and a sheer skirt while standing in the rain 

The Australian star, 35, is set to star as Cathy in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming movie adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights opposite Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff – with fans of the writer and director awaiting a steamy take on the story 

Margot looked nothing short of sensational in a series of avant garde ensembles in striking locations

Margot and Jacob are seen as star-crossed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff in the movie – a take on Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, published in 1850, which is considered a masterpiece of English literature.

Prior to its release, the film has courted controversy due to the appearance of Cathy – who is a teenager in the book – and the fact that Heathcliff should be ‘dark-skinned’. 

While she has shirked the scandal, with insiders pointing to the fact it is not a direct lift of the book and Vogue detailing how Emerald is seen to ‘lean into the stylised depravity’ she has become known for after directing the 2023 hit Saltburn.

Speaking about the expectations for the movie and its saucy content, Margot said: ‘Everyone’s expecting this to be very, very raunchy. I think people will be surprised…

‘Not to say there aren’t sexual elements and that it’s not provocative – it definitely is provocative – but it’s more romantic than provocative. This is a big epic romance.’

She admitted that the film is set to fill a void for lovers of romantic movies, saying: ‘It’s just been so long since we’ve had one – maybe The Notebook, also The English Patient. You have to go back decades…

‘It’s that feeling when your chest swells or it’s like someone’s punched you in the guts and the air leaves your body. That’s a signature of Emerald’s. Whether it’s titillating or repulsion, her superpower is eliciting a physical response.’

Margot is pictured during her pregnancy in September 2024 – just one month before welcoming her and husband Tom Ackerley’s son, whose name they have never revealed

She looked jaw-dropping in the shoot for the fashion bible

She teamed this cropped sheer top with an oversized period drama-style skirt 

The cover shoot was shot on a Wuthering Heights-worthy backdrop 

She explained that she was left ‘feeling weak at the knees’ at some of her scenes. 

Margot spoke about one scene, where Jacob as Heathcliff picks Cathy up ‘with only one arm!’ and another in which he shields her face from the rain.

She said: ‘It almost made me weak at the knees. It was the little things that we loved as two women in our 30s, and this movie is primarily for people in our demographic. These epic romances and period pieces aren’t often made by women.’

Margot also spoke about how she felt filming so soon after having her son. 

She said: ‘I was three months postpartum when we started shooting. So I was in a very different headspace. I didn’t do my usual routine. It was more haphazard…

‘And I remember saying to Emerald, ‘What if I’m not prepared enough?’ She kept saying, ‘I don’t want you to prepare. I just need you to be in the moment.’..

‘Which was a lovely way of relieving my anxiety. It was about being in my body as opposed to my head.’

The writer poured her suffering and passion into Wuthering Heights, a wrenching love story as raw as the Yorkshire Moors on which it’s set 

Margot and her husband Tom are pictured in July 2024

When approached by Vogue, Jacob said of his co-star: ‘Margot is a force. And she makes it look easy. Sometimes I think she has Hermione’s Time-Turner – she can raise a baby, shoot a movie, produce four others and still meet for a beer at 5pm.’ 

According to World of Reel, Emerald’s Wuthering Heights received a mixed reaction at its first test screening in Dallas, Texas this month.

The film is said to feature ‘intimate, clinical and purposefully discomforting’ masturbation scenes and a BDSM-inspired sex scene involving horse reins. 

The camera is also said to linger on ‘suggestive’ imagery including ‘egg yolks running through fingers’ and ‘dough being kneaded with quiet aggression’. 

The publication does note that Margot and Jacob both deliver ‘committed performances’ and have ‘great chemistry’. 

The film, which is set for release on Valentine’s Day, follows their love story from romantic to intoxicating, in love and madness

Born in 1818 in West Yorkshire, author Emily Brontë was the fifth of six children, and spent most of her short life in the moorland village of Haworth, where her Irish father Patrick was curate.

But life dealt Emily a series of terrible blows as she lost her mother when she was three, then two older sisters when she was seven.

Following her trauma, the novelist retreated into a fantasy world, writing stories and poetry with her siblings.

The writer poured her suffering and passion into Wuthering Heights, a wrenching love story as raw as the Yorkshire Moors on which it’s set.

See the full feature in the January issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 16th December