Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman teases Isaac’s season two storyline: ‘I hope it’ll change the world’
Alice Oseman says Isaac’s storyline in Heartstopper season two, will involve asexuality in a big way (attitude/ Netflix)
Alice Oseman, author of the bestselling Heartstopper graphic novels, has revealed that asexuality will be a big talking point in the upcoming second season of the hit show – particularly for the character of Isaac.
Although no release date has yet been announced for the second instalment of the smash hit Netflix series, that hasn’t stopped excitement for queer fans of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) from reaching fever pitch.
Alice Oseman, the creator of the bestselling Heartstopper graphic novel series that inspired the show, is now giving fans a taste of what they can expect in season two.
Speaking to Attitude after being named ‘Person of the Year’, they spilled the beans on Heartstopper‘s upcoming asexual representation in relation to existing character Isaac (Tobie Donovan), despite the asserting that “Netflix will hate [them]” for doing so.
“Asexuality will be discussed on TV in a big way,” she revealed. “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.”
Alice Oseman also touched on misconceptions around asexuality.
“The A stands for asexual [ace] or aromantic [aro],” she explained. “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”.
The author went on to explain that they discovered about asexuality and aromanticism online while at university, and prior to that, had “never heard those words in real life”.
Oseman said that they do not often get asked the “deep” questions surrounding their sexuality.
“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.”
On the subject of writing romance, though, Oseman said that they can still very much enjoy it as an aromantic individual.
“It’s complicated, and not all ace and aro people feel the same about things,” they added. “I’ve always enjoyed romance stories, and it’s fun to write one.”
Oseman led on writing Heartstopper’s television adaptation, which became one of Netflix’s top ten English language series ever when it aired in April 2022, receiving nine nominations and five wins at the inaugural Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. She has written four graphic novels to date, which the adaptation is based on, with a fifth one on the way.
Attitude’s March/April issue is out Friday (10 February).
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