The Real Reason Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Have Been Playing the Couple — And Why It's 'Agony' for Actress' Husband 

OK! can reveal Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's headline-grabbing flirtation on the Wuthering Heights press tour was a calculated PR move to sell their epic romance – but friends now say the spectacle became "agony" for Robbie's husband, Tom Ackerley.

Robbie, 35, and Elordi, 28, star as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's new adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic gothic romance novel.

In the run-up to its theatrical release, the pair of Australian actors set red carpets alight with displays of hand-holding, wearing matching rings and gushing interviews about their "obsession" with one another.

Robbie has been married to producer Ackerley, 35, since 2016, and the couple share a young son.

Ackerley was also a producing partner on Wuthering Heights, sparking gossip about how much of the sizzling publicity generated by Robbie and Elordi was strategic – and how much it could sting.

"The intensity of Margot's public dynamic with Jacob has definitely set tongues wagging," an insider said. "People in their circle are quietly asking what this level of flirtation means for her marriage to Tom. Every red carpet, every interview, it's all about how electric she and Jacob are together. That's not easy for a husband to sit through – especially when Jacob is being billed as the most desirable leading man in Hollywood right now."

The source continued: "Tom understands the mechanics of the industry – he's a seasoned producer, he knows how these movie PR campaigns are orchestrated and why amplifying on-screen chemistry helps sell tickets. Outwardly, he's saying all the right things and maintaining that he's completely comfortable with it. But friends can't help wondering whether that's just him being pragmatic. There's also a difference between appreciating the strategy and being emotionally untouched by it. When the narrative becomes, 'Your wife and the hottest guy in the business can't keep their hands off each other,' that has to sting on some level."

"Even if Tom would never admit it, people close to him suspect it's awkward at best and quietly humiliating at worst. It's hard to believe it doesn't affect him at all," the insider added.

Another source close to the production said the overt affection between Robbie and Elordi was no accident.

They added: "From the outset, the strategy was to blur the lines between fiction and reality. Wuthering Heights portrays two of the most famously tormented, obsessive lovers in literary history, so the marketing team made a conscious decision to amplify that intensity off-screen as well. It keeps audiences emotionally invested before they've even bought a ticket. The constant praise, the lingering looks and the talk of 'obsession' on set between Margot and Jacob – none of that was accidental. It was part of a coordinated publicity push designed to make their connection feel palpable and irresistible. In that sense, it's undeniably smart – it generates headlines, fuels social media chatter and positions the film as an event. But at its core, it's a calculated PR maneuver. Very slick, very effective and very Hollywood."

Elordi himself fueled the frenzy in a recent interview, saying about Robbie: "We have a mutual obsession. I was enamoured by her, and still am."

Robbie was equally effusive, admitting: "I developed a co-dependency quite quickly with Jacob."

They also told how Elordi filled Robbie's dressing room with flowers and was left wowed by a black corset she wore during filming.

Those remarks, delivered with knowing smiles between the pair on global press stops, have only intensified speculation.

"Nobody is saying Margot has crossed a line when it comes to her marriage," an insider said. "She's an actress doing what actors are often encouraged to do during a big campaign – magnify the on-screen spark so it translates off-screen. It's part of the performance, and she's very good at it."

"But that doesn't mean it's painless for Tom. However rational he may be about the strategy, watching your wife publicly rave about – and visibly dote on – one of the industry's most in-demand leading men is bound to create some discomfort and even inner agony. Jacob's image as a Hollywood heartthrob only heightens that. When the entire Internet is dissecting every glance and touch, it turns into a very public pressure cooker. Even if Tom keeps a brave face, friends say it has to feel like a private strain playing out on a global stage."

Industry observers stressed heightened on-screen chemistry spilling into press tours is a time-honored tactic – from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo appearing inseparable while promoting Wicked, to Glen Powell facing intense scrutiny during the rollout of Anyone But You he was having a secret fling with his costar Sydney Sweeney.

But friends of Ackerley's are said to be uneasy over the tactic being used to push Wuthering Heights.

"People in Tom's inner circle are starting to question whether he's brushing this off a little too easily," a source said. "He keeps insisting he understands the PR approach for Wuthering Heights and that it's all part of the promotional machine, but some of his friends aren't convinced he's fully acknowledging how intense it's become."

"A few of them have gently tried to flag that once this kind of narrative takes hold, it can spiral quickly and become something much harder to contain. They're protective of him and hate seeing him in a position where he could look foolish. From their perspective, the flirting-for-the-cameras has tipped from playful into excessive, and they worry it may have crossed a line that's difficult to walk back," they added.