Heartstopper star Leila Khan is making her acting debut as loveable newcomer Sahar Zahid
Leila Khan will play Sahar Zahid in Heartstopper season two. (Netflix)
The imminent arrival of Heartstopper season two isn’t just set to bring Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) back into our lives, but will also introduce us to some newcomers – including actress Leila Khan who’s set to play Sahar Zahid.
Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie, a gay teenager who finds himself falling in love with Nick, a rugby player at his school.
The much-loved season one of Heartstopper covered the first two volumes of Alice Osman’s books, with Netflix announcing in 2022 that the series has been renewed for seasons two and three.
Here’s what we know about Leila Khan who will play the character of Sahar Zahid in season two, which premieres on Netflix on 3 August.
Leila Khan plays Sahar Hadid in Heartstopper season two
Leila Khan is set to play Sahar Hadid, a character of Arabian descent, in Heartstopper season two.
Fans of the graphic novels saw Sahar introduced in chapters 4 and 5 of the series, where she joined the core characters on a school trip to Paris.
The character is portrayed as a music lover and highly intelligent in the graphic novels, while her sexuality is unspecified.
In September 2022, Khan posted on Instagram an image of the Heartstopper cast, with the caption: “So excited to finally announce that I am joining the beautiful family of Heartstopper as Sahar.
“Can’t put into words how grateful I am to the whole cast for making me feel so welcome.
“The ENTIRE crew have also made me feel so welcome. EVERY single person I have met has welcomed me with open arms.”
What do we know about actress Leila Khan?
Heartstopper is Khan’s first professional acting role. In December 2022, she posted on her Instagram account, which has 45,000 followers, that she had finished filming for her ‘first ever acting job”.
She wrote: “A wrap on my first ever acting job. Mental. Mind officially blown.
“Will forever be grateful for all the talented people I have had the fortune to meet and work with. I can only hope that some of their wisdom and knowledge has rubbed off on me.
“There are so many cogs in this well oiled machine and everyone works their balls off every single day to create this beautiful show.
“I am thanking EVERYONE for making my experience perfect. I really want to name them all but we will be here a while…”
Khan also shared a picture of herself with the her Heartstopper co-stars in Disneyland, Paris, writing: “the best time.”
Khan is represented by acting agency Curtis Brown.
Heartstopper season two is welcoming other new actors to the cast
Jack Barton, who has appeared in The Pursuit of Love, will play Nick’s older brother David, while actor Bradley Riches will play Truman student James McEwan. British stage actor Nima Taleghani is set to portray Truham teacher Mr Farouk and TikTok star Bel Priestley plays Naomi.
The new additions will star alongside the existing characters including Kit Connor, who will be returning as Nick, and Joe Locke, who will be back as Charlie.
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