Happy day, Heartstopper fans, season two is finally available to stream on Netflix. When its first season premiered back in April 2022, the British coming-of-age romantic series — based on the popular graphic novels by Alice Oseman — immediately made an impact on streaming subscribers around the world for its endlessly charming and emotional tale of two teenage boys who fall in love.
In addition to the sharp scripts from Oseman, who adapted her own work for the screen, and the distinct visual flavor supplied by director Euros Lyn, a large part of Heartstopper‘s appeal rests with its winning cast that mostly comprises up-and-coming young actors from the U.K., but may also feature a couple of much more established stars in key supporting roles (shout out to Stephen Fry as the never-seen school principal!).
Once you’ve marathoned all eight half-hour episodes of Heartstopper season two (which really isn’t that hard an accomplishment for the seasoned Netflix binger), you might be wondering where you can next catch the show’s cast doing their thing. Well, in that case, here’s your Heartstopper cast spotter’s guide… Try saying that five times fast.
Joe Locke
With his sweet-natured turn as Charlie Spring in Heartstopper, Joe Locke ensured he earned himself an international army of fans who’ll follow wherever his career goes next. Well, luckily for him, he’s actually going straight from breakout role to joining the biggest franchise on the planet. Locke is making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2024 Disney Plus series, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, a spinoff to the smash-hit WandaVision. Locke’s character has yet to be officially revealed, but he’s widely believed to be cast as Wiccan, a young superhero who could go on to be a major fixture for years to come.
Kit Connor
Starring opposite Locke as Charlie’s boyfriend Nick Nelson is Kit Connor, who has been widely praised for his touching performance as the teen who comes out as bisexual across the first season. Before we see him return as Nick in Heartstopper season three, Connor has two further projects on the way. First of all, he’ll appear with Maia Reficco (Do Revenge) in romcom The Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, as based on the YA novel of the same name. Next up, he’ll lead horror One of Us, which sees members of a family mysteriously dying at a funeral.
Yasmin Finney
Yasmin Finney is an integral secondary lead on Heartstopper as the lovelorn Elle Argent, who has a crush on one of her best friends, Tao. Although she initially found fame through TikTok, the hit Netflix series was Finney’s first breakout acting gig. Like Locke, she’ll follow it up by jumping into the deep end with a role in another world-famous franchise. In Finney’s case, she’s joining the ever-expanding cast of Doctor Who this fall. She’ll appear opposite David Tennant in the show’s three 60th anniversary specials, airing across November 2023, as Rose Temple-Noble, the daughter of Catherine Tate’s Donna.
William Gao
Speaking of Tao, the object of Elle’s affections is played by William Gao. Tao Xu is perhaps the most insecure of Charlie’s friendship group, as his fears of changing his friendship with Elle forever prevent him from acting on his feelings for her. Outside of Heartstopper, Gao has two indie films in the bag that are awaiting release. Namely, psychological thriller Breakwater and Sunrise, opposite Hollywood star Guy Pearce. Away from acting, Gao serves as one half of his band Wasia Project, which he formed with his sister, Olivia Hardy. The siblings are set to go on a U.K.-wide tour in February 2024.
Corinna Brown
In Heartstopper, Corinna Brown plays Tara Jones, the popular girlfriend of Darcy Olssen (Kizzy Edgell) who becomes one of Elle’s closest friends when she transfers to Higgs Girls School. Brown will be seen in a totally different genre in action-horror short film Trial 22, which follows a group of people trapped in a mysterious underground experiment as they survive monsters, traps, and each other. The actress also features in The Green Frog, an anthology drama film telling three interlocking stories that take place on one eventful evening in a cafe no one seems to want to be in.
Sebastian Croft
Sebastian Croft might be forever known to Heartstopper viewers as Ben, Charlie’s emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend, but his performance as the show’s self-confessed answer to Stranger Things‘ Vecna is just one of many notable portrayals in his career so far, which also includes recurring/guest roles in Game of Thrones, Doom Patrol, and Love, Death & Robots. With his time at Truham Grammar School over by the end of season two, Croft will next appear in romcom How to Date Billy Walsh, opposite fellow Netflix vets Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) and Tanner Buchanan (Cobra Kai). That hits Prime Video this Sep. 8.
Rhea Norwood
Even though Imogen Heaney serves as an obstacle to Nick and Charlie’s love story in Heartstopper season one, thanks to her oblivious crush on the former, it’s hard to hate the character, which is testament to Rhea Norwood’s likability in the role. Norwood will next be seen in drama film To The Girl I Once Knew, as part of an ensemble cast of famous British faces including Frances de la Tour (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Amanda Abbington (Sherlock). The production has garnered attention for making use of a 90% female cast and crew.
Olivia Colman
Oscar-winning actress, international treasure, and all-round superstar talent Olivia Colman is one of the busiest performers working in the business today. So it’s no surprise to discover that she already has four upcoming projects lined up to follow Heartstopper season two, in which she reprises her role as Nick’s supportive mother, Sarah Nelson. She’ll be seen in this December’s Roald Dahl reimagining Wonka and will then reunite with producer David Heyman and director/writer Paul King on Paddington in Peru. 2023 also brings comedy mystery film Wicked Little Letters before Colman moves on to musical Girl from the North Country, co-starring Woody Harrelson.