Feb 07, 2026 12:14pm IST
Jacob Elordi’s BIG Test: Can ‘Wuthering Heights’ Turn Him Into a True Movie Star?
Jacob Elordi brings a brooding edge to Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's new "Wuthering Heights", set to hit theaters on February 13, 2026. Awards buzz is already swirling. The film, shot against those wild, gray English landscapes, throws Elordi together with a young cast to breathe new life into Brontë’s story of obsession and revenge. At 28, Elordi has become Hollywood's favorite for complicated antiheroes. And he really owns this space.
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Jacob Elordi grew up in Brisbane, Australia, in a working-class family. His dad’s side has Basque roots. He played rugby until a back injury stopped him, then jumped into school plays; "Seussical" was one of his first. Heath Ledger’s "Joker" lit a fire inside him, so he started working on accents and soaking up Brando biographies. At 19, he took his savings, drove his Mitsubishi across America and slept in his car between auditions.
He landed a part in 2018’s "Swinging Safari", but it was Netflix’s "The Kissing Booth" that really put him on the map as Noah Flynn, the bad-boy heartthrob. The rom-com blew up, spawned two sequels, and, though Elordi later called the movies “ridiculous”, they paid for his next chapter. I always liked how he played Noah; behind the swagger, you could catch flashes of real pain in his eyes.
'Euphoria': The Dark Side
HBO’s "Euphoria" cast Elordi as Nate Jacobs in 2019, a manipulative jock with deep-seated issues. At the time, he was crashing on friends’ couches. He nailed the role, earning AACTA nominations. Nate’s cold stare and sudden bursts of rage were honestly chilling. Watching him fall apart on screen felt uncomfortably real, like you were seeing inside someone’s cracked mind. Elordi said playing Nate let him step out of his own skin for a while.
Awards Season Standout
In 2023, Elordi played Elvis in "Priscilla", but this time from her perspective, soft-spoken, controlling and a world away from Austin Butler's swagger. This restraint, I thought, made the loneliness of Graceland feel even sharper. Then came "Saltburn", where he became Felix Catton, a privileged Oxford golden boy opposite Barry Keoghan. Elordi made Felix charming and completely clueless, a performance that got him a BAFTA nomination. The infamous bath scene? That's the one stuck with me. Felix's warmth masked the film's twisted core.
2025 brought "Frankenstein", with Elordi as del Toro’s (Guillermo del Toro) creature; he won over critics by mixing gentle intelligence with monster movie horror. Oscar and Critics’ Choice nominations rolled in. He picked up a Golden Globe nod for the miniseries "The Narrow Road" to the "Deep North", too. Off-screen, he’s fronting for Bottega Veneta and TAG Heuer, and the low-key bookish vibe adds to his appeal.
Pop Culture's New Outsider
Elordi's story, sleeping in his car and then turning into a superstar, lines up with the loner he plays. He's always the outsider, finding a way in. "Wuthering Heights" is about to lock him in as the ultimate Brontë antihero. Trust me, Heathcliff's demented rage is going to haunt you long after the credits roll.
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