We’re less than a week away from Heartstopper‘s second season, which will adapt Volume 3 of Alice Oseman’s ongoing rom-com graphic novel series of the same name. Over a year ago, in April 2022, Heartstopper debuted on Netflix to an overwhelmingly positive reception. The concept was drawn from Oseman’s webcomic, which follows Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson as they meet and develop romantic feelings for one another. Several sub-plots also revolve around Charlie’s friends, many of whom are also LGBTQ+ and living out their own journeys.
The series was written by Oseman, who also penned Solitaire (focusing on Charlie’s sister Tori), Nick and Charlie (the introduction to Heartstopper‘s main characters), and Radio Silence (surrounding Aled Last, Charlie’s gay and demisexual friend). After Charlie is outed as gay, he finds himself falling for Nick, who in turn discovers his bisexuality through an attraction to Charlie. There have been rumors concerning the Heartstopper casts‘ sexualities, so let’s put them to bed.
Joe Locke
Growing up on the Isle of Man, Joe Locke is a Manx actor who recently landed a role on the WandaVision spin-off television series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, portraying a familiar in Harkness’ coven. On several occasions, Locke likens his experience as an openly gay man to that of Charlie’s, noting the parallels in both their stories. Locke told Soho House that he’d like to make history on-screen, just as co-star Yasmin Finney is set to become the first-ever transgender Doctor Who companion.
“I’d love to play the first queer Disney prince or Marvel superhero. I’m dreaming big here. We’re in a time when this isn’t something to dream of for much longer, it should be a reality quite soon.”
Kit Connor
Sadly, Kit Connor didn’t have such a pleasant experience with coming out as Locke. In October 2022, six months after the show aired, Connor was forced to out himself via Twitter (now known as X) as bisexual. After he was photographed holding hands with actress Maia Reficco, Connor became a target of online harassment and was accused of queerbaiting. In the tweet, he wrote: “Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show.” In response, a number of fans, Oseman, and Connor’s co-stars expressed support and spoke out in solidarity.
Yasmin Finney
Finney, 19, initially gained a following through TikTok before kickstarting her acting career with Heartstopper. She developed a fanbase by voicing her experiences as a Black British teenage trans woman. As we mentioned, Finney will be joining the cast of Doctor Who in 2023 as a character called Rose, who will also be transgender. As for her sexuality, Finney has never explicitly disclosed it, although she has been photographed kissing men, we can’t speak on her sexual orientation for certain.
William Gao
English actor William Gao portrays Tao on Heartstopper, the eventual boyfriend of Elle (Finney). Gao’s role in Netflix’s coming-of-age drama marks his acting debut. Before that, Gao had only ever performed on stage, namely in Shakespeare productions. He was born to an English man and a Chinese woman, the latter of whom moved to the U.K. in her 20s. In the show, Gao’s character is a straight man who enters a relationship with Finney’s Elle, but Gao’s sexuality isn’t known at this time.
Sebastian Croft
Croft made his television debut as young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, then went on to appear as Atti in Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans. He also provides an optional voice for the player character in Hogwarts Legacy. In June 2022, in honor of Pride Month, Croft shared that he had designed a limited-edition t-shirt featuring two dinosaurs kissing. All proceeds were donated to the Choose Love and Rainbow Railroad fundraising organizations. Croft raised the funds to help “queer refugees fleeing persecution.” Despite making strides to support the LGBTQ+ community, Croft has never publicly stated his sexuality.
Jenny Walser
Walser, who portrays Charlie’s sister, Tori, has had many assumptions made about her sexuality. Some sources claim that she’s straight, whereas others neglect to label her so hastily. As far as we can tell, Walser has never revealed her sexuality, nor her current relationship status and/or dating history. In the show, Tori’s sexuality isn’t mentioned either, but Alice Oseman confirms that Tori is on the aro-ace spectrum.
Kizzy Edgell
Edgell is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Although Edgell’s character Darcy is openly lesbian in Heartstopper, the actor themself is not. In an interview with Permanent Rain Press, Edgell admits that Darcy reminds them of themself and when they came out, referring to their bisexuality. At this time, it isn’t clear whether Edgell is in a relationship, but their character Darcy is dating Corinna Brown’s Tara in Heartstopper.
Corinna Brown
Although Corinna Brown has been an extremely outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, it is uncertain whether she identifies as LGBTQ+ herself. Owing to a lack of information, she is assumed to be straight, however, this is unconfirmed. Brown portrays Tara, the girlfriend of Darcy. It is revealed that Nick and Tara were each other’s first kiss before Tara discovered that she was lesbian. Aside from acting, Brown is also an accomplished dancer, choreographer, performer, dance/movement therapist, arts-based researcher, and educator.
Rhea Norwood
In Heartstopper, Norwood portrays Imogen, a girl who has a crush on Nick and dates him for a short period of time. Eventually, Nick begins to have confusing romantic feelings for Charlie and calls it off with Imogen to pursue a relationship with him. Imogen is heartbroken but understands Nick’s need to live his truth. Although he rejects her, the pair remain close friends going forward. As for Norwood herself, her sexuality is unknown. She is presumed straight, but as Connor’s real-life experience has taught us, it can be harmful to assume one’s identity.
Tobie Donovan
Isaac Henderson was Tobie Donovan’s first screen role. He is best friends with Charlie, Tao, Elle, and later Nick. Although Isaac’s sexuality is never stated onscreen, Tao claims he is the “token straight friend” and Charlie says his friends “aren’t gay”. Isaac was confirmed to be Aroace by Alice Oseman in a tweet. Isaac, like Imogen, does not have a webcomic counterpart, but he fills the space in Charlie’s friend group that’s usually occupied by Aled Last. Donovan himself is openly gay and had already come out before the age of 19.