While Heartstopper Season 3 on Netflix is centered on a cast of high school-age kids, that does not necessarily mean the actors who play them are that age themselves.
Based on the beloved graphic novel of the same name, Heartstopper's queer love story has been warming the hearts of audiences since its debut on the streamer in 2022.
With Season 3 debuting on October 3, the show's main characters, Nick and Charlie, are getting older and are still not used to the dramatic twists and turns that come with school-age romance.
How Old Are the Heartstopper Characters & Actors?
Kit Connor - Nick Nelson
Kit Conner brings to life Nick Nelson in Heartstopper, one-half of the series' central high school couple. Heading into Season 3, Nick will be 16 years old and is weighing whether to admit to his boyfriend, Charlie, that he loves him.
Like much of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast, Kit Connor is much older than his on-screen character. Connor was 20 years old when the third season was released.
Joe Locke - Charlie Spring
Joe Locke plays Charlie Spring, the other half of Heartstopper's ongoing queer love story. Charlie is 15 in Season 3, and, like his boyfriend, Nick, is debating whether now is the right time to admit that his feelings for Nick go much deeper than a simple schoolboy crush.
Locke is six years older than the character he portrays in the Heartstopper series. Joe Locke, who has recently found himself at the center of the Marvel Studios rumor mill thanks to his appearance in Agatha All Along, is 21 years old.
William Gao - Tao Xu
Since Season 1 of Heartstopper, one of Charlie's best friends and closest confidants has been William Gao's Tao Xu. Tao is also in his mid-teens, being 15 during the events of Season 3.
William Gao is similar in age to the rest of the show's teenage cast, being 21 years old at the time of Season 3's debut.
Yasmin Finney - Elle Argent
Yasmin Finney plays Elle Argent, yet another member of Nick and Charlie's inner circle and the girlfriend of William Gao's Tau Xu. In Season 3 of the hit Netflix romance, Elle is 16 years old, only one year older than her romantic partner.
Finney, on the other hand, is a few years older than her on-screen character. She is 21 and celebrated her birthday on August 30.
Corinna Brown - Tara Jones
Tara Jones (played by Corinna Brown) is yet another classmate of Nick and Charlie. At one point earlier in the series, she was Nick's girlfriend. In Season 3, she, like Nick, is 15.
Corinna Brown has one of the biggest age differences between actor and character in the series. In 2024, Corinna celebrated her 25th birthday, making her 10 years older than the character she plays on TV.
Kizzy Edgell - Darcy Olsson
Season 3 saw a significant change for Kizzy Edgell's Darcy Olsson, as the character finally came out as non-binary. In the show's third season, Darcy, now dating Yasmin Finney's Elle Argent, is 16 years old.
Edgell is a few years older than Darcy, though. The actress who brings the series mainstay to life is 22.
Rhea Norwood - Imogen Heaney
Rhea Norwood yet again brings to life Imogen Heaney in the Netflix series. In Season 3, Imogen is 16 and dealing with a lot. She grapples with her sexuality and realizes that she may never have liked boys in the first place.
Norwood is 23, seven years older than Imogen is in Season 3.
Tobie Donovan - Isaac Henderson
Another close friend of Nick and Charlie returning in Heartstopper Season 3 is Tobie Donovan's lovable bookworm, Isaac Henderson. Isaac is similar in age to the rest of the cast, being 16 years old by the time Season 3 comes around.
Isaac's actor, Tobie Donovan, is a fair amount older than his Heartstopper character. At the time of Season 3's release, Donovan is 22.
Jenny Walser - Tori Spring
Jenny Walser plays Tori Spring, Charlie's older sister and anchor when he needs someone to ground him in his emotional and mental turmoil. At 16, Tori is just one year older than her younger brother.
Walser is a great deal older than Tori is in the Heartstopper series. At 29, Walser has the biggest gap between her and her character's ages amongst the show's teenage cast, being 13 years older than the person she plays.
Heartstopper Season 3 is streaming on Netflix (get more info on Heartstopper Season 3).
