Yasmin Finney Talks Heartstopper and Doctor Who for British Vogue

Yasmin Finney is ready to take on the world one epic TV show at a time. Finney graced the cover of British Vogue and discussed her rising star within the entertainment industry. 

“I went from nothing to having a feature film and a Netflix series,” she stated for British Vogue.

 

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The 19-year-old had previously booked both the starring role in Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible and Heartstopper simultaneously. The former didn’t pan out and actress Eva Reign took up the role. But Finney’s acting dreams still became reality with the huge success of Hearstopper. 

The queer teen romance/coming-of-age series became one of Netflix’s most popular shows this year and it placed Finney, a Black trans woman, in the spotlight. Finney’s next role will be as the companion Rose, alongside Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who. 

“It will change the world,” Finney said. “All I can say is, I feel so honoured to be seen by Russell…I remember growing up idolising it…I’m happy to be the representation on a show that means a lot to so many.”

Creator and showrunner Russell T. Davies returns to the iconic BBC show with nothing but praise for Finney.

“When you get into the casting room there’s only one question: can you act?,” Davies said for British Vogue. “And that’s where she stole the show. She was immediately right…to see someone commanding such attention – and let’s face it, such enmity – with grace and wit and a wonderful smile”.

 

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But that internal power that Finney has was cultivated for years while she grew to understand her identity. As a child, while not being aware of labels, she gravitated headfirst towards femininity.

“I would search up ‘femininity’ and ‘Why do I feel like a girl?’” she recalled, “I remember searching, ‘Why do I have a penis?’”

Finney would later endure years of being misunderstood and bullying from peers, but finds herself with the last laugh. Now a rising talent within the acting world, Finney thanks her authenticity for getting her to where she’s at now. 

“All the people that doubted me, they’ve got nothing on me anymore, you know? Not that I did it for them,” Finney says. “But it’s like the cherry on top. I just like to know that people are realising that everything I did from a young age, I wasn’t in the wrong. Everything I did was perfectly fine.”