Charlotte Mellington, who plays young Cathy to Margot Robbie's adult Cathy in Wuthering Heights, has just experienced her first-ever red carpet. Luckily, a few of her best friends from school surprised her just before she walked the red carpet to ease her pre-premiere jitters.
“I was so happy to see them, especially because I think I needed a little confidence boost,” the 14-year-old admits.
The young actress had her breakout on the West End as Lavender in Matilda the Musical, but Wuthering Heights is her first on screen role. The forthcoming film stars Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the doomed central couple; as young Cathy, Charlotte plays a version of the character who is ferocious and free, running across the moors with young Heathcliff (played by Owen Cooper).
At the London premiere on Thursday, Feb. 5, Charlotte realized she had nothing to be nervous about. “Last night was a dream,” she says, recounting the experience on Friday morning, a welcome break from studying for her Drama GCSE.
For her first-ever premiere look, Charlotte wore a white off-the-shoulders dress from Shushu/Tong, with a black ribbon. Her stylist Felicity pulled it for her at her studio, and Charlotte immediately knew it was the one. She paired it with strappy white low-heeled sandals.
“I think it did tie into the amazing costumes that Cathy wore,” Charlotte says, “the off the shoulder moment, this big skirt…” She completed the look with a custom bag from Angie Power, with embroidered flowers from the bodice on her Wuthering Heights costume. "There's a little C plus H, Cathy plus Heathcliff moment, which I think is so cute. I saw it and I was like, "Oh my God," because I get to keep it."
For her glam, her team focused on a natural look, “some skin care and just some natural lips and just to make my eyes look to pop. It was all very natural, very simple. I quite like that.” Charlotte is still developing her own skin care routine; she has sensitive skin. Right now she's into the Ocha moisturizer, toner, and cleanser from Pinks Boutique. “I've had to put away all the trends, how you see everything on social media and it's like, ‘Oh, buy this, buy that,’” she says. “I think I've had to just put that aside and just try to do what's best for my skin.”
Charlotte will turn 15 next month, and she's figuring out her personal style. She's drawn to “classy, chic” pieces and elevated basics. She mentions that her friends are all obsessed with the brand Nelly.com; she often “nicks” her best friend's clothes from the brand. “They have the most flattering jeans. I love a boot cut low rise jean.”
In typical London fashion, the premiere night brought tons of rain. “I was getting splashes up my ankles and sodden carpet,” she says. “But I think we took it in our stride. Jacob definitely did. I think he was enjoying the rain.” I mention the photo of Elordi protecting Robbie's hair from said rain, reenacting a scene from the film. “That was definitely a Cathy and Heathcliff moment."
One of her favorite memories from the night? Meeting Charli XCX.
“Her album for Wuthering Heights is the most insane thing I've ever heard,” Charlotte says. “[At the premiere, she was] the Wuthering Heights bride. She looked incredible. So lovely meeting her. She's the sweetest ever.”
When Charlotte made it back to her hotel room that night, knowing that she would go back to school come Monday, it was with a feeling of how surreal her life is at the moment.
“I'm just like, 'That just happened, didn't it?'” she says. "I come home to my hotel where I'm taking my makeup off and getting into my pajamas, and just an hour ago I was at the Wuthering Heights premiere. That's crazy to me. But it was the best experience I think I could have had."
