Warning: This article contains spoilers for Heartstopper season 1
Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman and producer Patrick Walters have revealed how Academy Award winning actor Olivia Colman was cast as Nick’s mom in the queer teen rom-com series. The highly-anticipated Netflix series is a faithful adaptation of a webcomic written and illustrated by Oseman that started in 2016. Heartstopper follows British teenagers Nick and Charlie and their friends as they navigate life, love, friendships, and new relationships. Both the comic and the series have been praised for the way they explore queerness, as Heartstopper’s romantic-comedy nature means Nick and Charlie have a love story that is light on angst, as opposed to many other queer stories.
Heartstopper has also been highly praised for its casting, with its main cast, led by Joe Locke and Kit Connor, perfectly embodying their comic counterparts. Newcomers Tobie Donovan and Rhea Norwood also stand out as new characters Isaac and Imogen, respectively. However, the Netflix series has created a lot of buzz thanks to the secret casting of two major stars. Colman has an important role in Heartstopper as Nick’s supportive mother, while Stephen Fry provides the voice of Headmaster Barnes.
Now, Oseman and Walters have spoken about the secret casting of Colman in Heartstopper and how it felt like a “total fantasy.” In an interview with Metro, two of the most important voices behind the Netflix series revealed how the casting happened. Walters described Colman as “the dream” for Nick’s mom. Read the full quote below:
“It was always the dream. I was talking to Alice and suggested Oliva Colman to play Nick’s mum and it felt like a total fantasy. ‘That would be brilliant but that’s incredibly unlikely.’ So we only sent the part to her and she said yes! ... I thought there was no way she would want to be a part of this or anyone famous would want to be a part of this. I was proven wrong!”
Oseman initially thought attempting to cast Colman in the role was the “stupidest idea ever” because she believed no famous person would want to be involved in the brand new Netflix series. However, the Oscar-winner was keen to take on the part. Colman not only joined the supporting cast, but also has an integral role as part of one of the most important and emotional scenes in Heartstopper, in which Nick comes out to his mom as bisexual in the final episode.
While Heartstopper mainly gives its young newcomer cast many chances to shine, Colman’s star power has already given the Netflix series a huge boost of hype. Stars like Colman and Fry have introduced many new viewers to Nick and Charlie's sweet and refreshing LGBTQ+ romance. In addition, long-time fans of the original Heartstopper comic are in agreement that Colman is incredibly well-suited to the role. By keeping her casting under wraps until the show premiered, the Heartstopper team created an exciting surprise for dedicated fans and first-time viewers.
Source: Metro