Heartstopper Season 3 New Cast & Returning Character Guide

Heartstopper season 3 sports an ensemble cast, made up of faces both familiar and unfamiliar. After Heartstopper season 2’s ending, it was expected that the cast would grow as the characters mature. This proved to be true by the time of Heartstopper season 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 did Heartstopper‘s signature animated moments. These elements, combined with the continued needle drops of Heartstopper‘s great soundtrack, allowed the third season to pick up where its predecessor left off. However, Heartstopper season 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: September 24, 2003

Actor: Joe Locke is a Manx actor born on the Isle of Man. The actor’s early career comprised of theater work before Locke’s breakout role in Heartstopper. 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 in Agatha All Along will lead to future roles in the MCU.

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Character: Locke plays the lead character in Heartstopper, Charlie Spring. Heartstopper seasons 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, Heartstopper delves 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: March 8, 2004

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 like Get Santa, Ready Player One, and Rocketman, as well as TV shows like His Dark Materials. However, like Locke, Connor’s breakout role came in Heartstopper. This has led to mainstream attention for the actor, with Connor also appearing in 2024’s highly-rated animated film, The Wild Robot.

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Character: Nick Nelson is the other lead of Heartstopper, 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 of Heartstopper‘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: February 20, 2003

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 in Heartstopper saw him cast in the 2024 horror movie Sunrise alongside stars such as Alex Pettyfer and Guy Pearce.

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Character: In Heartstopper, Gao plays Tao Xu, Charlie’s protective best friend. Much of Heartstopper season 1 saw Tao grow jealous over Charlie’s burgeoning relationship with Nick, leading to a great deal of tension. Heartstopper season 2 then explored Tao’s romantic feelings for Elle, one of his and Charlie’s best friends. In Heartstopper season 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: August 30, 2003

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 in Heartstopper. The role of Elle in Heartstopper was 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 of Doctor Who.

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Character: Elle is a close friend of Charlie and Tao in Heartstopper, played by Finney. Heartstopper season 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. Heartstopper seasons 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: December 24, 1998

Actor: Corinna Brown is a British actor born in London. Brown’s earliest work included a BBC Three movie titled My Murder which she appeared in alongside John Boyega. This coincided with commercial work, and a Disney Channel spin-off show Even More Evermoore. As is the case with most other cast members, Heartstopper was Brown’s breakout role.

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Character: Corinna Brown plays Tara Jones in Heartstopper, a girl student from Higgs. Tara is one of the few openly gay characters at the onset of Heartstopper season 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 in Heartstopper seasons 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: August 15, 2002

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 in Heartstopper, appearing in all three seasons of the Netflix hit.

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Character: Edgell portrays Darcy Olsson in Heartstopper, the partner of Tara. In Hearstopper season 1, Darcy’s main journey surrounded their relationship with Tara. Heartstopper season 2 explored more of Darcy’s home life, including their abusive and homophobic mother. Heartstopper season 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: June 11, 2002

Actor: Tobie Donovan is a British actor born in Bath. Donovan began his career as a vlogger on YouTube before being cast in Heartstopper. As of 2024 and the release of Hearstopper season 3, the Netflix show remains Donovan’s only acting credit, though many more will undoubtedly come.

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Character: Isaac Henderson is the best friend of Charlie and Tao, shown in Heartstopper season 1 as a reclusive, quiet boy who is always reading. Heartstopper season 2 delved further into Isaac’s character, with the boy discovering he is asexual and aromantic. Heartstopper season 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 3, 2001

Actor: Rhea Norwood is a British actor born in Kingston-upon-Thames, London. Norwood’s breakout role came in Heartstopper when she responded to an open casting call. Since then, Norwood has been cast in the Channel 4 drama Consent and Prime Video’s Your Christmas or Mine 2. In May 2024, Norwood announced she would make her West End debut in the musical Cabaret.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Norwood plays Imogen Heaney in Heartstopper, 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. In Heartstopper season 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 in Heartstopper season 3, Charlie’s older sister. Tori gets a bigger storyline in Heartstopper season 3 as she navigates her own romantic life and support’s Charlie’s mental health struggles. Walser’s only other acting credit came in Call the Midwife as Louise Wrigley.

Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid: ​​​​​Sahar is a girl from Higgs who befriends Elle, Tara, and Darcy. Sahar discovers she is bisexual in Heartstopper season 3 after experimenting with Imogen. Leila Khan’s only other acting credit came as Riley Biggs in Death 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 in Heartstopper season 3. Akinade’s other credits include The Girl with All the Gifts, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Cucumber, Banana, and Dangerous 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 in Heartstopper season 3.

Georgina Rich as Jane Spring and Joseph Balderrama as Julio Spring: Jane and Julio are the parents of Charlie and Tori in Heartstopper. As the show goes on, Jane and Julio struggle to implement boundaries for Charlie’s new relationship, with Heartstopper season 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 like Spectre, Uncharted, and The Batman.

Heartstopper Season 3’s New Recurring Characters

Hayley Atwell as Diane: Heartstopper season 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 like Captain America: The First Avenger and other Hollywood productions like Cinderella and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.

Annette Badland as Ivy Olsson: Badland joins the Hearstopper season 3 cast as Ivy Olsson, the supportive grandma of Darcy. Badland is known for a variety of movie and TV roles. The most recognizable include The Crown and Ted Lasso.

Eddie Marsan as Geoff: Geoff is introduced as Charlie’s therapist in Heartstopper season 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 like Sherlock Holmes, The World’s End, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs and Shaw.

Darragh Hand as Michael: Hand joins Heartstopper season 3 as Michael, a friend of Tori’s. Michael and Tori grow closer together across Heartstopper season 3’s latter four episodes, with Michael being a fan-favorite character from the original graphic novels. Hand has previously appeared in shows like Grace and Silent Witness.