Heartstopper Season 2 Cast and Character Guide
Every now and then, a production company will release a brand-new show to an unsuspecting audience and capture their collective imaginations. For Netflix, a plethora of incredible shows align their catalog, with it often difficult for a new show with a relatively unknown cast to stand out. So, when the adaptation of Alice Oseman's web-comic Heartstopper arrived on our screens back in April 2022, no one quite expected that it would soon be considered one of Netflix's best feel-good shows. With a second season confirmed and already here, there is hardly any time to wait before fans see their favorite cast and characters from season 1 again. But who exactly is appearing in the sophomore outing of the show? With that in mind, here is a comprehensive guide to the cast and characters of Heartstopper season 2.
Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
Our protagonist at the core of Heartstopper is the excellent Charlie, a timid but honest boy who, throughout the run of season 1, learns not just to be open about his identity but love himself for it too. As someone who is bullied for his sexuality, Charlie provides the perfect surrogate for the sort of experience young people were (and are) having across the world, with his journey widely praised for its accuracy and honesty, without diving into the dark depths of gloom and pessimism that many narratives of this nature do. Through many of its characters, and certainly through Charlie, the Heartstopper team worked tirelessly to try and dismantle Queer representation stereotypes, and achieved this with enormous success.
The casting team of Heartstopper was keen to cast first-time actors to provide a sense of authenticity to the style of story they were telling. One such actor was Joe Locke who, following this vibrant performance, landed himself a role in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, with many more roles surely to come.
Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
As the eventual romantic partner to Charlie, Nick's popular persona around his school would stereotypically rule him out of the running of having a narrative journey like this but, in true Heartstopper fashion, these stereotypical boundaries were smashed in favor of a realistic depiction of the spectrum of personalities that make up the LGBTQIA+ community. Kind and always caring, Nick struggles with accepting his own identity and, in one final flourish in season 1, comes out to his mother, Sarah (Olivia Coleman), in one of the best scenes in the entire show.
As possibly the most experienced of the young cast before Heartstopper, Kit Connor has appeared in the likes of Rocketman, His Dark Materials, and Ready Player One. However, his portrayal of Nick captured the hearts of Heartstopper fans everywhere for its honesty and sense of realism. Unfortunately, some fans took this too far, pressuring Connor to announce his bisexuality after persistent speculation about his sexuality. Despite this, Connor admirably took it in his stride and has since used his platform to campaign for better representation of bisexuality in film and television.
Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
As one of the show's great group of supportive friends, Elle is a wonderful character with a positive attitude despite her difficult challenges. After leaving her time at an all-boys school, Elle eventually gets the opportunity to be her true self at Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls. This narrative thread is one fans will be desperate to see more of in season 2, with Elle's time at the school sure to provide its own challenges.
Yasmin Finney was another who was new to acting as Heartstopper began but was so well-loved with her incredible portrayal of Elle that she has had a whirlwind of a year since. As well as achieving her modeling dream of being on the cover of British Vogue, Finney has also broken boundaries in television by becoming the first recurring trans actress in the long-running franchise Doctor Who, with Bethany Black's previous trans role on the show only lasting for one episode.
William Gao as Tao Xu
As one of the more complicated characters of the show's central friendship group, Tao is protective and loyal, however, sometimes, that protective streak can lead him to crumble in the face of change. Despite this, Tao has a beautiful journey during season 1 that creates a better, more-rounded young man by the end, with his burgeoning relationship with Elle certainly a critical factor in that. His return to season 2 was celebrated by fans, with the more we get of his and Elle's relationship the better for our hearts.
Despite also being new to television acting, William Gao did have experience on stage as a part of the UK’s National Youth Theatre. Gao is also expected to appear alongside the likes of Guy Pearce (Memento) in the upcoming thriller Sunrise.
Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
Another of the central friendship group, Isaac, is shy and often has his eyes trained on a bestseller. However, when he isn't reading, Isaac has some of the more poignant quotes in season 1 of the show, with his contemplative mind and outside view of relationships giving him a balanced and mature outlook. Fans instantly took to Isaac, so much so in fact, that we know his role in season 2 is going to be much more integral, with his asexuality an essential thread in the upcoming narrative.
Another of the acting newbies, Tobie Donovan has had a much more reserved year since Heartstopper first aired. However, fans were delighted to see him at Netflix's TUDUM Global Fan Event in 2022.
Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
Tara is a member of the all-girls school Elle attends, with her quickly becoming a close friend of Elle's. Despite her romantic history with Nick, which provides some of the central narratives throughout much of the show, she is in fact in a secret relationship with her best friend Darcy. Darcy and Tara's relationship is beautifully uncomplicated for a show of this nature, providing representation of the beauty and simplicity LGBTQIA+ relationships can have at a young age, despite their almost consistent challenging portrayal in media.
With appearances in My Murder with John Boyega (Star Wars) and The Show Must Go Online under her belt, Heartstopper provided a great platform for the talented Corinna Brown, who has since been cast in the upcoming John Ferrer-directed short Trial 22.
Jack Barton as David Nelson
As one of seven new characters coming to season 2 of Heartstopper, David Nelson, according to Alice Oseman's source material, is the biphobic and homophobic brother of Nick. With Heartstopper season 2 hoping to explore darker themes without losing its light nature, it looks as if David may provide more of the darkness than the light.
As a terrific actor who has appeared in the likes of The Letter for the King and War of the Worlds, Jack Barton is a brilliant casting choice for season 2 as someone with great experience who already has a beautiful rapport with the cast of Heartstopper if the comments on his casting announcement post on Instagram are anything to go by.
Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid
Another new character for season 2 is Sahar Zahid, an intelligent and mature-before-her-years girl who will be part of the gang that takes to the streets of Paris in season 2. Her appearances in the web-comics are less explored than some other characters. However, the television series allows diving deeper into the cogs that turn her personality, with her addition to the show certainly exciting.
Leila Khan is another newbie to acting, with her casting as Sahar coming from a nationwide open casting call. The Heartstopper casting team specifically mentioned that previous acting work was unnecessary, with their success rate of finding and crafting some of the most well-liked young talents today, certainly providing great expectations for the future of Khan.
Heartstopper is, of course, known for many more of its incredible ensemble in season 1, with season 2 looking no less incredible. The likes of Kizzy Edgwell as Darcy and Sebastian Croft (Doom Patrol) as Ben are also expected to return, with the current information regarding the season suggesting it may not just live up to the standards of its predecessor but outdo them too.
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