Heartstopper Star Rhea Norwood Teases Season 3 Will Be “Darker”
Heartstopper Season 3 is approaching its release date, and the fans are waiting patiently for its arrival by counting down the days. In an interview with Digital Spy, Rhea Norwood, who is reprising the character of Imogen Heaney in the upcoming season, revealed some details of what to expect in season 3.
She said, “I think as a series as a whole it’s getting more mature. The characters are getting older, so they’re exploring some darker themes.”
She also added, “Hopefully they will be tackled in the way that Heartstopper does it, really beautifully, which is through a really lovely Heartstopper lens, I like to call it.”
Norwood also shared her experience meeting Jonathan Bailey, who will make a special guest appearance in the upcoming season, even though they didn’t have a scene together. She said that he was on the shooting set when her scene was being shot. She said, “He is the most charming man you’ll ever meet, he was so lovely. I did fan-girl over him.”
Netflix has officially announced that Heartstopper Season 3 will premiere on October 3, 2024. They announced the news on May 13 through a first-look clip of season 3, which features Billie Eilish’s album “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” The clip starts with Charlie practicing looking in the mirror to say “I love You” to Nick.
Previously, Joe Locke also shared his feelings about the third season. He said, “It’s definitely way darker than other seasons of Heartstopper have been, whilst also maintaining that Heartstopper feel. So the first half of the season, I’d say, is darker, the second half of the season is horny.”
Alice Oseman created and wrote Heartstopper, which made its debut in April 2022. It was based on Oceman’s webcomic series of the same name. It follows the story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), who is a gay schoolboy and falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). The series also explores the stories of their friends, including Tao Xu (William Gao), Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan), Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), and Tara Jones (Corinna Brown).
Most of the cast members from the previous season will return to their roles, including Jenny Wasler, Rhea Norwood, and Leila Khan. The new faces on the cast list are Hayley Atwell as Nick’s aunt Diane, Eddie Marsan as Charlie’s therapist Geoff, and Darragh Hand as Michael Holden.
The second season finale gave some hints about what was going to happen next season. Charlie’s eating disorder will be the main focus of the third season. Oseman said during a conversation with Metro in August 2023, “We’re going to continue to look at that in a big way and explore how that affects Nick and Charlie’s relationship, and all of the other friendships in the show.”