The new LGBTQ+ teen Netflix drama Heartstopper hasn’t actually aired yet, but after the cast was released fans have been asking where they’ve seen the actors before and what they have been in.
Since production of the show was announced back in January 2021 fans have been waiting patiently for not only its air date, April 22, but news on its cast.
What is Heartstopper?
Many people will know Heartstopper from the Alice Oseman graphic novel series of the same name. It follows the story of two Year 11 boys, Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, who begin to develop romantic feelings for one another and the challenges they face along the way.
Shy and nerdy Charlie is the only openly gay student at an all-boys grammar school, making him the unfortunate target for homophobic bullies. He develops a crush on Nick – a rugby player he sits next to and turns out to have reciprocating feelings.
However, you may not know that the series started out as a Tumblr web comic before making the jump to the printed page after gathering a larger audience.
The Heartstopper Cast
Although the majority of the cast is young, green, and fairly new to television or making their debuts there are a few cast members who’ll have people asking where they’ve seen them before.
Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
Before taking on this lead role, Kit found fame as the role of ‘young Elton John’ in 2019 biopic Rocketman. He also voiced Pan, the daemon of young Lyra Belacqua, in the His Dark Materials series.
Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
Fans may not know Joe as he’s a newcomer. However, as the lead it’s worth mentioning that he was discovered by the production team after an open casting call and was picked over a whopping 10,000 auditionees.
Sebastian Croft as Ben Hope
Sebastian isn’t a household name, but he’s no stranger to appearing on big shows as he was in one of the biggest. The actor is best known for appearing in the sixth season of Game of Thrones as none other than a young Eddard Stark.
Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
Corinna is relatively new to big screen adaptations but she did have a role in BBC Three television film My Murder, which also starred Star Wars actor John Boyega.
Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
Jenny’s character, Tori, is Charlie’s older sister and actually has her own novel called Solitaire – set before the events of Heartstopper – but this isn’t Jenny’s first time on TV. Last year she featured as Louise Wrigley in the tenth season of BBC drama Call the Midwife.
Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi
Fisayo has a wealth of previous acting credits but some of his bigger roles include The Personal History of David Copperfield, Silent Witness and zombie drama The Girl with All the Gifts. He is also known for playing Dean Monroe in Russell T Davies’ dramas Cucumber and Banana.