When Arnold first approached reading the novel as a young woman, she had much of the same pre-conceived ideas many associate with the 19th century English love story, but was instead faced with something deeper, darker, and far more uncomfortable – “When I read it I was expecting a traditional love story, in actual fact I found it more troubling, more infectious that that; it raises all kinds of feelings in you. Nobody can really get a handle on it, which is why I think we’re so constantly fascinated by it.”

Approaching the screenplay posed all the usual challenges of literary adaptation – particularly with a novel with multifarious voices and plot diversions, not to mention a sprawling third act in which the lovers are absent – “There was so much for me to include, but I like details, I like moments. I was trying to capture the essence of the book – I wasn’t trying to do this complete adaptation. I made the decision early on to tell the story from Heathcliff’s point of view, so that immediately made a lot of decisions for me. I went through the book and chose what had resonance for me. Making that decision early on motivated what to include and what not to include, but as I went along I realized it wasn’t straightforward at all. It is an unfathomable book.”

Arnold’s choice of casting a Yorkshire native non-actor who also happens to be black, James Howson, in the coveted role of Heathcliff, prompted much discussion on the origins of the character. Her casting choice is perhaps not so radical – Brontë describes Heathcliff as a – “dark-skinned gipsy in aspect and a little lascar’’ – a “lascar” was a term used in the 19th century to describe sailors hailing from India.