Heartstopper Just Revealed Four New Cast Members And They Couldn’t Be More Perfect

If there’s been a Heartstopper-shaped hole in your heart since the adorable Netflix original released earlier this year, fear not: new footage from behind the scenes of Season 2 just came out, and it features four new members of the cast.

Because Heartstopper is an adaptation of Alice Oseman’s beloved webcomic, fans have been anticipating this casting announcement since Seasons 2 and 3 were confirmed back in May. With the second season likely taking place primarily on a school trip to Paris, new characters include a charming teacher, a scumbag older brother, and some new classmates for Nick, Charlie and the rest of the gang.

The first newcomer is Leila Khan, who will be playing Sahar, a character from the comic who attends Higgs school with Elle, Tara and Darcy. Khan was selected for the role after a nationwide open casting call in the U.K., and it’ll be her first professional acting role. 

Jack Barton will play Nick’s older brother David. Looking at him and Kit Connor, we can definitely see a family resemblance. No spoilers, but David and Nick don’t have the best relationship, so hopefully Barton is ready to be someone we love to hate.

Bradley Riches has actually already appeared in Heartstopper, if only as a background character. In Season 2, he’s back with a named role: James McEwan, a student at Truham. If he’ll be a friend to our main cast or more of a bully remains to be seen, considering this character never appeared in the comics.

Rounding out this cast announcement is Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk, a fan-favorite character from the comics who plays opposite Mr. Ajayi, portrayed by Fisayo Akinade. Before a second season was confirmed for Heartstopper, Oseman said Farouk and Ajayi’s relationship was one of the things she was most excited to write for the screen. Now, with Taleghani in the role, we’ll get to see that excitement pay off.

The rest of the main cast will also be returning for Season 2, which is officially in production. Until it comes out, we’ve got this behind-the-scenes teaser to tide us over, including a cheeky “Bonjour” from Connor, hinting at the season’s Parisian setting. 

My heart just stopped all over again. Next year can’t come soon enough!