Netflix’s Heartstopper became a runaway surprise hit that every streaming service dreams about when it premiered in April 2022. The queer coming-of-age story debuted with a rock-solid perfect critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and managed to equally impress its dedicated fanbase who fell in love with the graphic novels upon which the series is based, written by the show’s screenwriter herself, Alice Oseman.
As is usually the case with teen dramas, the actors who play our favorite characters are either far older than the roles they were hired to play (ahem – One Tree Hill, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, the list goes on and on) or just simply age out of the part by the end of the series (ahem, Stranger Things).
Fortunately, Heartstopper has managed to avoid the former issue (some of the cast are even still in their teens), but has it succumbed to the latter – especially now that season 2 is here? Let’s take a look and find out who the ringers are.
Charlie Spring (Joe Locke)
Joe Locke plays the recently-outed protagonist of the show, Charlie Spring. Charlie is a year 10 student at Truham Grammar School in the first season — the equivalent of an American high school sophomore, which means he was just 15 when the show began, but the Isle of Man native Joe Locke was 18 years old at the time. Because season 2 takes place over the summer, Charlie is on the precipice of 16. Locke, on the other hand, turned 19 in September 2022 and will be 20 come Sept. 24, 2023.
Nick Nelson (Kit Connor)
Kit Connor plays Charlie’s love interest, rugby player Nick Nelson. A year 11 student, he’s at least one year older than Charlie at either 16 or 17 years old. He’s presumably still the same age in season 2 since it takes place over the summer between school years. In real life, Connor is just a smidge younger than Locke. He was 18 years old when the first season aired and turned 19 on March 8, 2023.
Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft)
Sebastian Croft plays Charlie’s first boyfriend (if you can even call him that), Ben Hope. Like Nick, Sebastian is in year 11, which makes him 16 years old. However, Ben Hope is the first actual non-teen on our list, just barely, at 20 years old during season 1 and a full-blooded adult (at least in America’s eyes) during season 2 at 21 years old.
Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney)
Charlie’s friend Elle, who transferred to Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls when she came out as transgender, is played by Yasmin Finney. Elle is another year 11, making her around 16 years old. Finney herself was 18 during the first season and officially turned 19 during the second. She celebrates her 20th birthday on Aug. 30, 2023.
Tao Xu (William Gao)
Tao Xu, Charlie’s film-obsessed and incredibly protective bestie, is played by actor William Gao. Tao is the same age as Charlie in the story, but Gao is a year older than his on-screen co-star Joe Locke. Gao was 19 during season 1 and turned 20 during season 2. His birthday is on Feb. 20, 2023.
Tara Jones (Corinna Brown)
Corinna Brown plays Tara Brown, a helpful and friendly student who befriends Elle at Harvey Greene Grammar School. In real life, Brown is the true ringer of the cast at an elder 23 years old during season 1 and 24 during season 2. Her 25th birthday is on Christmas Eve 2023.
Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell)
Tara’s outgoing and ridiculously confident girlfriend, Darcy, is played by Kizzy Edgell. Like Tara and Elle, Darcy is 15 years old in the show but Kizzy herself was 19 during season 1 and 20 during season 2. Her 21st birthday falls on Aug. 15, 2023.
Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan)
The shy and introverted Isaac is played by Tobie Donovan. Donovan keeps up the running trend of the show, playing a 15-year-old while being 19 in real life, at least in the first season. During season 2 Donovan was 20 years old, although he turned 21 after filming on June 11, 2023.
Tori Spring (Jenny Walser Alter)
Charlie’s older sister and favorite of the fandom, Tori is played by actor Jenny Walser Alter. Older than Charlie but still in school, she’s likely playing around 16 or 17 in the show. Alter herself is straight out of the 90210 casting method at a practically ancient 27 years old during seasons 1 and 2. She turned 28 on May 1, 2023, after filming for season 2 concluded.