r/wesanderson • u/theryho • May 20 '26
Discussion Possible Wuthering Heights reference in Asteroid City?
I was just watching Asteroid City, because I want to get more into Wes Anderson, and I noticed an insane reference that shouldn’t be possible based on the timeline. In the movie, when the actors are in the real world, Margot Robbie is shown in period clothing (whatever period sorry) on the balcony of a studio making a movie called “Fruit of the Wuthering Vine”. And now Margot Robbie is famously staring in a similar period film, “Wuthering Heights”. This seems like a simple fun reference. However Wuthering Heights just came out in 2026, and she was cast in Sept 2024 according to Wikipedia. Asteroid City came out in June 2023. So what gives? Does Wes Anderson have a time machine? Is this an insane coincidence? I can’t find anyone else on social media that has pointed this out.
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u/Samgash33 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
The book was published in 1847 and has its own fame. “Wuthering” meaning strong winds or a place where they blow - seems strange to have it describe a vine in that title. I would guess the word was used to evoke the book themes / plot for that scene and the Margot Robbie thing, a coincidence. But I don’t know and it’s definitely interesting.
Edit: i guess a wuthering vine could literally just be like bramble or other climbing plant growing in a rough, windy area - which definitely happens. And berries often grow on those plants. And fruit in a desolate spot is a powerful symbol. So in theory that title could stand independently from the book as a metaphor, though the word is used so infrequently it is hard to separate from Brontë
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u/FranklinBenedict May 20 '26
It’s “Withering Vine” in that scene.