The highly anticipated third season of Heartstopper is set to debut soon. After the show’s breakout success on Netflix in April 2022, Heartstopper quickly became a fan favorite, following the romance between Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, alongside their friends navigating their own LGBTQ+ journeys.
The show was created and written by Oseman, who also penned other works expanding the universe, such as Solitaire, Nick and Charlie, and Radio Silence.
Heartstopper explores Charlie’s struggles after being outed as gay and Nick’s realization of his bisexuality. There has been curiosity around the real-life sexualities of the cast, who play a range of LGBTQ+ characters.
Are any of the Heartstopper cast LGBTQ in real life?
Joe Locke, who plays Charlie, grew up on the Isle of Man and is openly gay. He recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has expressed hopes of playing a queer Disney prince or superhero. Kit Connor, who plays Nick, came out as bisexual on social media in October 2022 after facing online harassment and accusations of “queerbaiting”. Connor’s coming out was met with support from fans and castmates.
Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle, initially gained popularity on TikTok as a black British trans woman. She will soon play a transgender character in Doctor Who. Her sexuality remains undisclosed. William Gao, who plays Tao, makes his acting debut in Heartstopper but has not shared information about his personal life or sexual identity.
Sebastian Croft, who plays Ben, has worked on Game of Thrones and other projects. While he advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, he hasn’t shared his sexuality. Jenny Walser, portraying Tori, hasn’t confirmed her sexuality but plays a character on the aro-ace spectrum. Kizzy Edgell, who plays Darcy, identifies as non-binary and bisexual, though their character is a lesbian.
Corinna Brown, who plays Tara, is an outspoken LGBTQ+ ally but hasn’t confirmed her sexual orientation. Rhea Norwood, who plays Imogen, remains private about her sexuality, while Tobie Donovan, portraying Isaac, is openly gay, and his character is confirmed to be aro-ace.