Heartstopper spoilers follow.
Heartstopper has been released on Netflix, introducing viewers to Charlie and Nick as they work through their own issues and other people's comments to become a couple.
One cameo was kept secret by Netflix, but now that the show is out, everyone is talking about how Nick's mother Sarah is played by none other than Olivia Colman.
Creator Alice Oseman and executive producer Patrick Walters have exclusively told Digital Spy that the actress is so busy and in-demand that they weren't sure they were going to get her.
Related: Heartstopper season 1 ending explained – What lies ahead for Charlie and Nick?
"So we had this grand idea that we wanted to get a big name to be Nick's mum. I thought this was the silliest idea ever," Oseman said. "I thought there was absolutely no way that any big-name actor would want to be in this show. But we came up with a list of potential Nick's mums, and Olivia Colman was our favourite. So we went out to her first.
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"We sent her some excerpts from the scripts, and the comics as well. I think it was Euros (Lyn, the director), actually, who reached out to her, because they'd worked together before. And she said yes! I 100% thought this was not going to happen."
Walters added: "It was such a shock when she said yes. I remember speaking to her agent, and just being like, 'Really?' It was unbelievable. But she's amazing, and she was so lovely.
"Olivia left open two days where we could film with her on set. She was just so nice to everyone. She was incredibly sensitive and sweet with Kit. He performed so well. You could feel it, because he was so excited to be in a scene with Olivia. It was wonderful."
Related: Heartstopper season 2 – everything you need to know
Digital Spy also got to speak exclusively to Charlie and Nick actors Joe Locke and Kit Connor, and the latter spoke about filming Nick's emotional coming out scene with Colman.
"I think it's a beautiful scene," he said. "Script-wise, I think it's really sort of slightly heartbreaking and then also just so heartwarming at the same time. So going into it, you've already got that great material.
"But then to be able to work with someone like Olivia, who is... just a beacon of sort of warmth and happiness and energy, which was so exciting. We were lucky enough to shoot with her for two days, and both of those days were just filled with fun and… that's when I really realised that you just sort of witnessed how amazing she was, because she's so effortless.
"She really just kind of looks over her lines, and looks at the script, and then suddenly brings it to life... That level of effortless ability is something you only ever dream about. So, yeah, it was incredible. It was incredible to sit at the other side of the table, and watch her act, really. Sometimes I had to forget that I had to actually do some stuff as well."
Heartstopper is streaming now on Netflix.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
