Heartstopper spoilers: Academy Award-winning actress makes surprise cameo

MAJOR spoilers from Heartstopper ahead.

Netflix’s Heartstopper is finally out and the cat is out of the bag! The brilliant, Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman is in Heartstopper, Netflix’s wonderful new show about two boys falling in love in South England. Colman has dozens of acting credits for both films and television, but she most recently became globally recognizable and acclaimed for her role as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown.

Colman’s involvement in Heartstopper had been kept as a big secret. The show’s creators wanted to truly surprise fans, and journalists were asked not to reveal the information until release date. And it was for the best, for the secrecy paid off. When I first watched the series, I nearly shouted “THAT’S OLIVIA COLMAN!” when I first heard her voice in the car in episode 1. It’s been fun, watching everyone speculate on why the casting wasn’t announced and who it could be until the very last minute.

The actress, who has been a recipient of an Oscar, a BAFTA, three Golden Globes, an Emmy (I could go on…) plays Nick Nelson’s mother in Heartstopper. She mostly shared scenes with her on-screen son, Kit Connor.

The two have a very honest and open relationship, and their dynamic was great to witness. Some of Nick’s most significant scenes are with his mother, like the one in the season finale where he comes out to her as bisexual. Colman’s character rewards him with unwavering support and love. As well as a witty joke or two.

Heartstopper surprise cameo

I was so delighted to know Olivia Colman is part of this cast. Heartstopper is a story of teenagers, but it deserves to be watched by a wider audience, and her involvement will undoubtedly give the show the attention it wholly deserves. This will make sure the industry takes the show seriously as it should.

“When we were casting the show,” said Heartstopper author and creator Alice Oseman in an interview with Netflix Life, “we kind of came up with the idea to reach out to a famous person to play Nick’s mom, and it wasn’t really my idea – I thought there was no way that any famous actor would want to be in this show — but basically we all came up with a list of potential actors and Olivia was top choice, so we reached out to her and we sent her some of the script and some of the comic and.. she wanted to do it? I was absolutely blown away, I did not think there was any chance. It was amazing.”

Another stellar guest in the cast of Heartstopper is Stephen Fry, who appeared as the voice of the headmaster. You should be able to recognize his unmistakable voice addressing the Truham and Higgs schools during their joint Sports Day in episode 8. His chirpy tone played on speaker and encouraged students to compete in a physical activity. I recognized him instantly and looked for his name in the credits at the end, shocked and in need of confirmation, for this was another pleasant and unexpected surprise.

The fact that Netflix employed two stars of this caliber—Olivia Colman and Stephen Fry—in the show speaks volumes. It means Netflix believes in Heartstopper and there are high chances it will be renewed for a second season, if the first performs well.

So make sure you tell all your friends to stream it ASAP. For a Netflix show, the views received in the first 28 days after the premiere are a real dealbreaker. Let’s get those numbers up, and then tweet #RenewHeartstopper!