If Hearstopper fans weren’t already excited enough for season two of the Netflix hit, creator Alice Oseman has confirmed that asexuality will take centre stage in the development of Tobie Donovan character Isaac and the fandom is swooning.
The brain behind the bestselling cartoon series, Oseman spoke to Attitude after being named their Person of the Year and dropped the major news as fans await the second season.
Oseman said: “Asexuality will be discussed on TV in a big way. I’m excited. I hope it’ll change the world.
“I hope when it happens in Heartstopper it doesn’t feel like a lesson. You know Isaac, you care about him, and now you’re going to learn something new about him.
“The A stands for asexual [ace] or aromantic [aro]. Those words mean little-to-no sexual attraction or little-to-no romantic attraction. This confuses a lot of people because, for most people, they’re the same. But for aro/ace people they can differ”.
In the interview Oseman added that she discovered asexuality and aromanticism whilst at university having never previously come cross the terms. She said: “Interviewers come to me with a preconceived notion of what my identity is, and assumptions about how an ace person experiences the world. No one is asking deep questions. It’s a complicated thing to understand about yourself. People are asking the wrong questions.”
With the cat out the bag regarding the development of Isaac, actor and rising star behind the character Tobie Donovan shared the news on Twitter. He said: “So proud to be telling this story, can’t wait for you all to see.”
The confirmation almost broke the internet with Heartstopper fans flooding to the actor’s Instagram to share how much it means to them.
So proud to be telling this story, can’t wait for you all to see ? https://t.co/3rpImRBWfi
— Tobie Donovan (@TobieDonovan_) February 7, 2023
One user wrote: “This means so much to me as an aroace person i’m literally so thankful to finally get the representation I’ve been needing in my life for so so long.”
Another said: “I’ve said these words a million times (including to you), but the amount of asexual representation in the media is so ridiculously tiny, and I am so so excited to see how yourself and Alice tell stories that finally people like myself can relate to, I just know you’ll smash it.”
Others said the news was making them “so emotional” and that they are “so ready for the ace rep we deserve”.
Another fan wrote: “Tobie you have no idea what this means as an aroace person who has no idea where to begin if I ever had to explain it to my parents, finally getting to watch something with them with someone like me in it! Giving u and alice the biggest hugs ever, you guys mean the world.”
No date has been confirmed yet for Heartstopper Season 2, but it is expected to hit Netflix this year.” If you’re a Heartstopper fan, be sure to follow @CelebMix on Twitter for all the updates.