Heartstopper creator says Darcy being non-binary was a ‘natural evolution’ after actor came out

Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman has spoken about Darcy Olsson’s journey to accepting their non-binary identity in season three.

The latest season of the queer romance, which dropped on Netflix on Thursday (3 October), includes a storyline where Darcy, played by Kizzy Edgell, reveals to their girlfriend Tara that they are non-binary.

While much of the third season runs in line with volumes four and five of Oseman’s graphic novels, Darcy’s gender identity is one of a few changes.

The latest season starts with Darcy expressing their disdain for being called a lady and being asked to play in gendered sports, while in later episodes they cut their hair, use they/them pronouns, as well as telling Tara about their identity.

Speaking to PinkNews at the unveiling of the Heartstopper Pride flag at the Queer Britain museum in London on Saturday (5 October), the author explained how the decision to explore Darcy’s gender identity came about.

“It evolved from conversations with Kizzy, starting in season two, when Kizzy was obviously exploring their own identity,” Oseman said. Last year, Edgell shared that he is transmasculine, and uses both he/him and they/them pronouns.

“I reached out to Kizzy and was like: ‘Are you comfortable playing Darcy? What can we do to make you feel more comfortable in this role on set?’ In that conversation, we discussed the idea of Darcy going on a similar kind of journey, exploring being non-binary.

“We decided at that point it wasn’t quite time. Kizzy was still working things out, but [by] season three, we felt a lot more comfortable to take Darcy in that direction. It feels like a really natural evolution for [the] character. It makes so much sense. I think it’s really exciting.”

Corinna Brown, who plays Tara, also spoke to PinkNews about the storyline. “It’s always a dream. Alice is always there, always listening,” she said. “Obviously, it’s a journey that I’m happy got explored because, obviously I don’t want to speak for Kizz, but it is what Kizz is going through.”

In one scene, where Darcy explains that they’re worried about their gender identity being a “huge deal”, Tara says: “It’s not huge, it’s just you.”

Brown continued: “I think the collaboration between Alice and Kizzy and myself, I was there, it’s so important, and I like how nuanced it is. So, we’re not adding pressure [to Darcy] because it’s not pressure. It’s just change, which is fine, and if you’re happy, we’re all happy.

“It’s beautiful, and I’m happy it happened the way that Alice wrote it.”

The Heartstopper Pride flag, created by The Great British Sewing Bee‘s Raph Dilhan, features messages from the show’s fans about how the series has affected their lives. It is on display at Queer Britain until 19 October.

Heartstopper season three is streaming now on Netflix.

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