E021 | Wuthering Heights (2026) – Adoption on the Big Screen

We went deep into the canon for this one, dusting off and stitching together a whole undergraduate English literature syllabus (with Cliffs Notes, Sparks Notes, note cards, and whatever else we were using to make it through our book reports pre-Chat GPT) to bring you our take on Emily Brontë's 1847 gothic romance classic, Wuthering Heights. Whether you're pro the most recent Emerald Fennell blockbuster, or prefer to stick closer to the original text, you won't be disappointed by hot and steamy (and cringey) adoptee-centered takes from podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer.

Thank you to Pop! Star Justin for suggesting we cover Wuthering Heights!

This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on April 29, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon:

Haley's high school literature faves are: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954); 1984 by George Orwell (1949); and Animal Farm, also by George Orwell (1945). Can you say "adoptee dystopia?"

If you too could use an Earnshaw-Linton family tree, you can find one here.

Fun fact: Actor Tom Hardy, Heathcliff in the 2009 Masterpiece version of Wuthering Heights, went on to marry Charlotte Riley, the actress who played his Catherine, and who probably doesn't want to hear Kristal talk about her husband's top lip.

Heathcliff is 6 or 7 years old when Mr. Earnshaw returns with him from Liverpool. Catherine is around 17 when she marries Edgar Linton, and dies the following year, making her one half the age of the actress who plays her in the 2026 film version. Eyebrow raise.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Leslie Pate McKinnon does work in the area of genetic sexual attraction. You can hear more from her in Episode 65 of the Adoptees On podcast.

Actress Alison Oliver played Isabella Linton in the 2026 film version. Five stars.

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1847) has been adapted numerous times. We watched the following versions: directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi (2026); for Masterpiece starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley (2009); directed by Peter Kosminsky and starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (1992); directed by William Wyler and starring Laurence Olivier and Marle Oberon (1939).

Winifred Gerin, Emily Brontë: A Biography (1971)

Muriel Spark and Derek Stanford, Emily Brontë: Her Life and Work (1966)

Norma Crandall, Emily Brontë, a Psychological Portrait (1957)

Jackie Kay, Red Dust Road (2010)

Maja-Lisa von Sneidern, "Wuthering Heights and the Liverpool Slave Trade," ELH (1995)

Reginald Watson, "Images of Blackness in the Works of Charlotte and Emily Brontë," CLA Journal (2001)

The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.

We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com, on Instagram, and on Substack.

Heathcliff = 3. Catherine = 0.