Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman has her fingerprint all over the beloved Netflix show that’s based on her graphic novels. Since its premiere in 2022, Heartstopper has garnered a passionate fandom which has only grown, season after season. With the arrival of Season 3 (which holds 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) comes a new era for the queer teen drama, one that matures with a sensitive handling of mental illness, transphobia, and sex.
“I’m so, so relieved it’s finally out in the world,” Oseman—the creator, writer, executive producer and, as of Season 3, director—tells The Daily Beast’s Obsessed. “I’m having a lot of fun reading everyone’s reactions, it seems to be going down really well!”
Oseman’s Heartstopper had humble beginnings as a Tumblr comic before being published as a graphic novel, and now adapted for Netflix with Oseman as the screenwriter. The sweet high school romance of Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) has captured the hearts of viewers who swoon over their giddy teenage infatuation and welcome the wholesome representation of LGBTQ+ youth, which extends on the show to trans teen Elle (Yasmin Finney), non-binary Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), and asexual Isaac (Tobie Donovan).
Oseman sat down with The Daily Beast’s Obsessed to discuss Heartstopper’s growth, portraying the rampant transphobia in the British media, and how the storylines have been impacted by the actors.
Season 3 is a step up in terms of maturity. How was it for you to bring the story into that space thematically?
It was really exciting and just felt right. I always knew that we would get there because of where Nick and Charlie came from as characters. Where they were in my book Solitaire is now where we’re at in Heartstopper. I don’t want to do the same thing every single time, even if I know people like it, which they do. [Viewers] really enjoyed Seasons 1 and 2 and I could have just done the same kind of thing again, but I think people are ready to see something new, and they want to see something new.
The Heartsopper universe has this safety net where you know everything will be OK. How important is it to you to latch onto that hope in this story?
That’s always a part of my stories, maybe just related to who I am as a person. I like to imagine that things are going to be OK in the end and that we can always get ourselves out of whatever darkness we’re faced with. That’s the ethos of Heartstopper. These real issues exist and we all have to go through difficult things, but there are always good things waiting for us.
In the comics, it’s Nick’s mother (played by Olivia Colman) who delivers the line: “Love can’t cure mental illness.” In the show, it’s Nick’s aunt instead. It seems this was an integral scene that you made alterations to include. Why was it important for you to have that scene in the series?
I knew that scene had to be in the story. It’s such a huge moment in the comics, particularly for Nick’s journey. Also, generally and thematically, [the scene] has a really important message. People who haven’t read the comics might think Heartstopper is a romance and that Nick and Charlie love each other so Nick’s going to solve everything. The reality is that’s impossible. That’s something that Nick has to learn and that’s why this conversation that he has with Diane is important.
So, even though we sadly didn’t have Olivia Colman for that particular moment, I knew it still needed to hold equal weight and that’s why I introduced the character Diane. The incredible Hayley Atwell did the most beautiful job of it and I’m pleased with how that turned out.
In Season 3, you’re credited as a second unit director. Tell me about how you stepped into that position and what scenes you directed.
It came about quite unexpectedly. We always struggle and we were struggling to find a second unit director. Patrick [Walters], another executive producer, asked if I wanted to do some second unit directing. My initial reaction was: “Absolutely not.” Eventually, I talked myself into it. I did a few scenes with Nick when he’s [alone] in the bedroom and the Imogen and Sahar conversation in the tent at Charlie’s party.
I’m such an introvert. I don’t like everyone looking at me for instruction. I like to be behind the scenes. But I ended up really, really enjoying getting to make those creative choices that I had never been able to before. It was terrifying, but I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to do that.
So you’ll be directing a full episode in season 4?
[Laughing] I had people saying that to me. Oh god, I can’t even think about that.
There’s a scene where Yasmin Finney’s Elle is in a radio interview and the conversation turns into a debate about trans women, reflective of the raging transphobia prominent in British media at the moment. How was approaching a scene like that?
I had introduced that as a storyline in my scripts and Yaz came to me and she [said]: “I think we can do more. I think we can show the realities of what it is to be a trans young person in the UK.” That’s something I’d always shied away from because I was so wary of showing another story about a trans person full of trauma. I wanted Elle to be a character who can go about her everyday life, like every other teenager. But me and Yaz had a lot of conversations and we felt it was time to show the darker side of what it is to be trans, particularly in the UK right now. Part of that is the wider culture of transphobia in the media, journalism, and politics that’s suffocating and impossible to escape from.
The purpose of that storyline, particularly the radio interview scene, is that Elle is going to talk about her art but she cannot escape from her identity being used as a debate topic in this so-called culture war. We also see a wider look at general trans rights and transphobia as well in the UK, which is not something I’ve seen a lot of in media stories right now. It felt like a really important and hopefully insightful thing to show.
Darcy comes out as non-binary in this season, mirroring actor Kizzy Edgell’s relationship with their gender. How does an actor’s reality play into crafting a character’s story?
I had conversations with Kizzy early on, Season 2 era when Kizzy was exploring their identity. I thought it would be really interesting for Darcy to be non-binary, but at that point, Kizzy was still dealing with their own stuff. We approached it again in Season 3 and Kizzy was in a better place and more enthusiastic about the idea. So that story for Darcy was very inspired by Kizzy.
Also, I had a lot of chats with Rhea [Norwood] and restructured Imogen’s entire story arc from those conversations. It betters the story when the actor feels comfortable and empowered about the story, they’re going to do a better job because they’ve been a part of the creative creation process.
Earlier this year you shared volume six is written. How has that installment been influenced by Kit and Joe’s portrayal of the characters?
I’m quite good at separating the actors from the characters. For me, the TV world and the comic world of Heartstopper feel very separate. As time has gone on, the TV show has gotten further and further away from the comics.
Joe and Kit’s performances of Charlie and Nick inspired me to think more about the characters and their psyches, depending on how they might interpret certain scenes, lines, or elements of the story. At the same time, it’s important to me to stay true to what I want the story to be. There [can] be so many voices that I just can’t kind of figure out what the actual story should be. I find them inspiring, but I also have to stay committed to my vision for the story.
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