This year, Netflix swept everyone off their feet by releasing the most heartwarming show –Heartstopper. Ever since its release, it has been an internet sensation for all young adults and teens. Originally created as a webcomic by Alice Oseman,Heartstopperhas been the source for providingLGBTQIA+ teenswith a comforting queer love story that heterosexualyoungstersare always able to watch and enjoyfor several years.
This show is the sheer definition of depicting LGBTQIA+ romance and doing it complete justice. Currently, the show only has one season out, but the good news is that it has been renewed for at least two more seasons. Although the series has a huge fan following, and they are waiting for the next season, there is still so much about it that they have yet to explore. Here are some of the facts aboutHeartstopperthat many are unaware of.
The Web Series Was First Published on Tumblr
One of the biggest charms ofHeartstoppersince the beginning was its accessibility. From the start, Alice Oseman was determined to make sure that anyone across the world could easily read her work online. Therefore, she made her workavailable on siteslike Tumblr, Webtoons, and Tapas, so that any teen struggling with their identity, despite coming from diverse backgrounds, can find comfort in her writing. She would update consistently on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of every month, which led her story to gain loyal fans who would have countdowns and wait for the next release religiously.
Later, when it started gaining more attraction, the comic was eventually published in zines that Alison started selling on her page. This wasn’t the end of her success, as the love for her work kept increasing, which led her to sellHeartstopper’s volume in renowned retail stores such as Target. As surprising as it may sound, to this day, the works are being purchased every single day! This shows that when things are created with pure intention, they have an everlasting radiance that will never die down.
Charlie Spring was First Introduced in Novel Solitaire
People who are solely fans of the Netflix seriesHeartstopperwouldn’t know this, butSolitaireis basically the first ever novel Alice Oseman wrote and published, that has Victoria Tori Spring as its main character. This name may sound familiar to many watchers, as it is Charlie Spring’s older sister! Oseman introduced Charlie to her fans for the first time inSolitaire, but little did they know that Oseman would revisit his character in depth later on. This is howHeartstoppercame to tell the entire tale of how Charlie’s crush on Nick began and then further developed into something much deeper. Whereas if one looks atSolitaire, they were already dating. This means people who have been following Oseman’s work sinceSolitairewould already know howHeartstopperseason one would end.
Related:Heartstopper: The Most Memorable Moments
The Oseman Universe
Much likeMarvelandHarry Potter, Alice Oseman has a universe of her own known as the “Oseman Universe.” This is essentially the name given to a myriad of characters and stories written by Alice Oseman, all of whom exist in the same universe and have their stories happening at the very same time. If someone enjoys the whole Marvel universe, where often characters are mentioned or seen in other characters’ storylines, they would highly enjoy diving into the Oseman Universe. It includes her novelsRadio Silence,Solitaire,Loveless, andI Was Born For This, and of course, two of her web series,Party GirlsandHeartstopper. While having an entire universe is not commonly seen in theyoung adults genre, this is another quality that sets Oseman’s work apart, as her fans truly love to find all the Easter eggs and mentions of her works in one another.
Kit Connor Initially Auditioned for Charlie Spring
One character that fits like a glove in his respective role is none other than Kit Connor, who plays the most cherished character – Nick Nelson. However, this will stun the audience, but Kit originally auditioned for Charlie Spring’s role. Though destiny has its own plan for Kit, when the producers saw him, they immediately cast him for Nick Nelson instead, and thankfully they did, because no one can do Nick justice as Kit Connor does.
Related:Heartstopper: Best Songs From Season One, Ranked
The Screenplay for the Netflix Series was Written by Alice Oseman
Oftentimes the original writers aren’t much involved in the adaptation process. However, when it comes toHeartstopper, that was certainly not the case. Despite Oseman thinking the same thing would happen to her when Netflix announced the adaptation, she was soon proven wrong when the production team requested her to write the entire screenplay for it. Even though the screenplay isn’t a venture Oseman initially indulged in, she was tremendously joyful to be a part of it. Her involvement doesn’t stop here, as she was part of the entire making ofHeartstopper. From her having the final verdict on casting to having a say on any adaptive changes made to the series.
This is another aspect of the series that fans that followedHeartstoppersince the webcomic were immensely thankful for. After all, she is the creator of this masterpiece and deserves to be a part of everything that comes out of it.
All the Actors and Crew Were Part of the LGBTQIA+ Community
The director of the series, Euros Lyn, wanted to have an eminentlydiverse cast, who authentically represent each character. This is why more than 10,000 teenagers were auditioned, just to ensure the casting was done 100% authentically. One of the biggest reasons behind this, is that often in media, heterosexual white actors are seen playing the role of different minorities, to which they don’t even belong. However, from the beginning,Heartstopperaimed to make individuals who often don’t feel heard or seen feel heard and seen, from their writing, to music, to who they cast, and hired. This can be seen especially in Elle Argent, a trans character that is played by the stunning Yasmin Finney, who actually is a trans woman in real life. Lyn believes that the only way anyone can do justice to a character is when they have the essence of it within themselves.
The best part of it all is the representation inHeartstopperdoes not stop at the casting as even most of the crew, from designers to photographers to makeup and hair stylists were part of theLGBTQIA+ community. Being from the LGBTQIA+ community himself, Lyn knew what it feels like when their deserving roles and jobs are robbed from them, and how severe misrepresentation is readily available over the media. This is why the audience can truly see howHeartstopperis from an LGBTQIA+ perspective, through and through.
