As fans get excited for a third season of the incredibly popular Netflix teen series Heartstopper, Olivia Colman has revealed that she will not be returning to the series to play Sarah Nelson.
Heartstopper follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, two teenage boys who become romantically involved. Colman stars as Nick’s mother, becoming a popular character with fans.
After Nick comes out as bisexual to her and reveals that Charlie is his boyfriend, not his best friend, Sarah is incredibly supportive and understanding. Even Charlie seems to feel extremely comfortable around Sarah, who welcomes her son’s relationship with warmth.
Despite being an important side character in the Heartstopper universe, Colman explained in a recent interview with Forbes that she was unable to fit starring in season three of the show into her incredibly busy schedule.
She said: “I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that.” Still, Colman is incredibly grateful for being able to star in such a successful show about LGBTQ+ characters and relationships made for teenagers, adding, “I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”
This isn’t the only time Colman has starred in a show where she plays the mother of a gay son. In 2008, she starred in a BBC Three comedy series called Beautiful People, similarly reacting proudly to discovering her son’s sexuality in the season finale.
Filming for season three of Heartstopper took place between October and December 2023, but it appears that Colman had too many projects on her plate to reprise her role. Last year, she appeared in a handful of movies and shows, including Great Expectations, The Bear, Wonka and Wicked Little Letters. She has also been filming the upcoming Paddington in Peru, the third movie in the franchise, which is set for release later this year.
Heartstopper’s third season is set to air in October this year, with several new actors joining the cast, including Jonathan Bailey, who is set to play a professor/author whom Charlie develops a crush on.
Talking to Netflix, Alice Oseman, the creator of the Heartstopper comics, revealed, “While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up. Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more.”
