Heartstopperseason 3 sports an ensemble cast, made up of faces both familiar and unfamiliar. AfterHeartstopperseason 2’s ending, it was expected that the cast would grow as the characters mature. This proved to be true by the time ofHeartstopperseason 3’s ending, which aged up the tone of the show alongside its characters and introduced a host of new faces.
The returning cast members of the show kept the feel of the coming-of-age drama similar, as didHeartstopper’s signature animated moments. These elements, combined with the continuedneedle drops ofHeartstopper’s great soundtrack, allowed the third season to pick up where its predecessor left off. However,Heartstopperseason 3 still introduced its fair share of new storylines, as well as a host of new actors in important roles.
Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
Date of Birth: June 06, 2025
Actor:Joe Locke is a Manx actor born on the Isle of Man. The actor’s early career comprised of theater work beforeLocke’s breakout role inHeartstopper. This role catapulted Locke into the mainstream media, leading to him being cast as Teen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe show,Agatha All Along. It is likely that Locke’s role inAgatha All Alongwill lead to future roles in the MCU.
Agatha All Along
Teen
Character:Locke plays the lead character inHeartstopper, Charlie Spring.Heartstopperseasons 1 and 2 primarily centered around Charlie’s crush on Nick Nelson, a seemingly straight boy in the year above him at school. As their relationship grows,Heartstopperdelves into the exploration of sexuality through Charlie, with season 3 exploring the effects of bullying on mental health via the character’s eating disorder.
Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
Date of Birth: June 10, 2025
Actor:Kit Connor is a British actor born in Croydon, London. Connor’s acting career began much earlier than Locke’s, with the former appearing in movies likeGet Santa, Ready Player One, andRocketman, as well as TV shows likeHis Dark Materials. However, like Locke,Connor’s breakout role came inHeartstopper. This has led to mainstream attention for the actor, with Connor also appearing in 2024’s highly-rated animated film,The Wild Robot.
The Wild Robot
Brightbill (Voice)
Character:Nick Nelson is the other lead ofHeartstopper, brought to life by Kit Connor. Nick begins the show believing he is a straight boy, before uncovering his feelings for Charlie and discovering his bisexuality. Over the course ofHeartstopper’s three seasons, Nick’s journey has seen him come out as bisexual to his family, friends, and wider peers in school, with season 3 exploring his intimate sexual relationship with Charlie, his help with Charlie’s eating disorder, and his decision to move away to university.
William Gao as Tao Xu
Date of Birth: July 16, 2025
Actor:William Gao is a British actor also born in Croydon, London. As was the case with Locke,Heartstopper was Gao’s breakout role, though he also has performed in theater and has a music career. Gao’s performance inHeartstoppersaw him cast in the 2024 horror movieSunrisealongside stars such as Alex Pettyfer and Guy Pearce.
Sunrise
Edward Loi
Character:InHeartstopper, Gao plays Tao Xu, Charlie’s protective best friend. Much ofHeartstopperseason 1 saw Tao grow jealous over Charlie’s burgeoning relationship with Nick, leading to a great deal of tension.Heartstopperseason 2 then explored Tao’s romantic feelings for Elle, one of his and Charlie’s best friends. InHeartstopperseason 3, Tao’s relationship with Elle is advanced while the character aids Charlie in his battle with mental health.
Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
Date of Birth: June 28, 2025
Actor:Yasmin Finney is a British actor born in Manchester, England. From a young age, Finney became involved in several theater productions before being cast inHeartstopper.The role of Elle inHeartstopperwas Finney’s breakout role, though she had already amassed a following on TikTok exploring her career as a black British trans woman. As of 2023, Finney has also portrayed a character in the reboot ofDoctor Who.
Doctor Who
Rose Noble
Character:Elle is a close friend of Charlie and Tao inHeartstopper,played by Finney.Heartstopperseason 1 explored Elle’s experience of moving from Truham Boys School to Higgs Girls School after coming out as transgender. There, Elle met her friends Tara and Darcy who helped her discover her feelings for Tao.Heartstopperseasons 2 and 3 primarily focused on Elle’s relationship with Tao, as well as her love of art and experiences as a trans woman.
Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
Date of Birth: June 13, 2025
Actor:Corinna Brown is a British actor born in London. Brown’s earliest work included a BBC Three movie titledMy Murderwhich she appeared in alongside John Boyega. This coincided with commercial work, and a Disney Channel spin-off showEven More Evermoore.As is the case with most other cast members,Heartstopperwas Brown’s breakout role.
Heartstopper
Tara Jones
Character:Corinna Brown plays Tara Jones inHeartstopper, a girl student from Higgs. Tara is one of the few openly gay characters at the onset ofHeartstopperseason 1 due to her relationship with Darcy. Tara also has a connection with Nick from when they were younger, which evolves into a strong friendship inHeartstopperseasons 2 and 3. In the latter installment, Tara begins to feel the pressures of being pushed into higher education due to her strong school grades, leading to an exploration of panic attacks.
Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
Date of Birth: July 26, 2025
Actor:Kizzy Edgell is a British actor born in Wandsworth, South London. Like his character, Edgell has identified as non-binary and used they/them pronouns. In 2023, Edgell came out as transmasculine, using he/him pronouns as well as they/them.Edgell’s only role and thus his breakout performance is inHeartstopper, appearing in all three seasons of the Netflix hit.
Darcy Olsson
Character:Edgell portrays Darcy Olsson inHeartstopper, the partner of Tara. InHearstopperseason 1, Darcy’s main journey surrounded their relationship with Tara.Heartstopperseason 2 explored more of Darcy’s home life, including their abusive and homophobic mother.Heartstopperseason 3 saw Darcy come out as non-binary, going exclusively by they/them pronouns as their relationship got stronger with Tara.
Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
Date of Birth: July 31, 2025
Actor:Tobie Donovan is a British actor born in Bath. Donovan began his career as a vlogger on YouTube before being cast inHeartstopper.As of 2024 and the release ofHearstopperseason 3, the Netflix show remains Donovan’s only acting credit,though many more will undoubtedly come.
Isaac Henderson
Character:Isaac Henderson is the best friend of Charlie and Tao, shown inHeartstopperseason 1 as a reclusive, quiet boy who is always reading.Heartstopperseason 2 delved further into Isaac’s character, with the boy discovering he is asexual and aromantic.Heartstopperseason 3 developed this further while giving Isaac more agency as someone who feels left out by his friend’s romantic lives.
Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
Date of Birth: June 11, 2025
Actor:Rhea Norwood is a British actor born in Kingston-upon-Thames, London.Norwood’s breakout role came inHeartstopperwhen she responded to an open casting call. Since then, Norwood has been cast in the Channel 4 dramaConsentand Prime Video’sYour Christmas or Mine 2. In May 2024, Norwood announced she would make her West End debut in the musicalCabaret.
Your Christmas or Mine 2
Bea
Character:Norwood plays Imogen Heaney inHeartstopper, a girl introduced as having a crush on Nick. Eventually, she falls for a boy named Ben who is struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality before making friends with Charlie and his group. InHeartstopperseason 3, Imogen begins exploring her own sexuality as she comes to terms with the fact that she has never genuinely liked any boys she has dated and instead liked the attention as it made her feel important.
Heartstopper Season 3’s Supporting Cast
Jenny Walser as Tori Spring:Jenny Walser portrays Tori inHeartstopperseason 3, Charlie’s older sister. Tori gets a bigger storyline inHeartstopperseason 3 as she navigates her own romantic life and support’s Charlie’s mental health struggles. Walser’s only other acting credit came inCall the Midwifeas Louise Wrigley.
Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid: Sahar is a girl from Higgs who befriends Elle, Tara, and Darcy. Sahar discovers she is bisexual inHeartstopperseason 3 after experimenting with Imogen. Leila Khan’s only other acting credit came as Riley Biggs inDeath in Paradise.
Fisayo Akinade as Mr. Ajayi:Mr. Ajayi is the art teacher at Truham who aided Charlie when he was being bullied. As a gay man, Ajayi often offers support for Charlie and discovers his own relationship with a fellow teacher inHeartstopperseason 3. Akinade’s other credits includeThe Girl with All the Gifts, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Cucumber, Banana,andDangerous Liaisons.
Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk:Mr. Farouk is a stern teacher brought into Truham to oversee exams before becoming Charlie and Nick’s form tutor. Mr. Farouk eventually falls for Mr. Ajayi, with the two becoming a couple inHeartstopperseason 3.
Georgina Rich as Jane Spring and Joseph Balderrama as Julio Spring:Jane and Julio are the parents of Charlie and Tori inHeartstopper. As the show goes on, Jane and Julio struggle to implement boundaries for Charlie’s new relationship, withHeartstopperseason 3 exploring how they aid Charlie’s mental health issues. Rich has credits in various British TV shows, while Balderrama has served as a character actor in movies likeSpectre, Uncharted, andThe Batman.
Heartstopper Season 3’s New Recurring Characters
Hayley Atwell as Diane:Heartstopperseason 3 introduces Atwell as Nick’s aunt, the sister of Olivia Colman’s Sarah who did not return for the recent installment. Diane takes Nick on holiday early in season 3, providing him with ways to help with Charlie’s eating disorder. Atwell is a major actor known for her roles in MCU films likeCaptain America: The First Avengerand other Hollywood productions likeCinderellaandMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning.
Annette Badland as Ivy Olsson:Badland joins theHearstopperseason 3 cast as Ivy Olsson, the supportive grandma of Darcy. Badland is known for a variety of movie and TV roles. The most recognizable includeThe CrownandTed Lasso.
Eddie Marsan as Geoff:Geoff is introduced as Charlie’s therapist inHeartstopperseason 3. Geoff is straight-talking and aids Charlie through his struggle with his eating disorder. Marsan has an incredible career as a character actor, though is primarily known for movies likeSherlock Holmes, The World’s End, Deadpool 2,andHobbs and Shaw.
Darragh Hand as Michael:Hand joinsHeartstopperseason 3 as Michael, a friend of Tori’s. Michael and Tori grow closer together acrossHeartstopperseason 3’s latter four episodes, with Michael being a fan-favorite character from the original graphic novels. Hand has previously appeared in shows likeGraceandSilent Witness.
Cast
Heartstopper is an LGBTQ+ coming-of-age teen romantic comedy based on the webcomic/graphic novel created by Alice Oseman. The show is viewed through the eyes of a young gay British teen named Charlie Spring, whose crush on a classmate grows into something more meaningful as they slowly get closer throughout the series. The show navigates the challenges of LGBTQ+ youth during tumultuous adolescent years.
