Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle in Netflix’s Heartstopper, has this ineffable softness in her aura that is instantly calming. Even smiling through a computer screen, her energy seems to make the pixels sparkle a little more. Just over one week has passed since the debut of Heartstopper, and in that time she’s amassed over 500,000 new Instagram followers. A newcomer to the industry, she is now officially a working actress.
Growing up as a young Black trans woman in Manchester, England, Yasmin has gone from documenting her trans journey on TikTok, to portraying the journey of Elle Argent, a story focusing on friendship and joy and happiness — one that has already beamed into millions of homes. Heartstopper’s first season focuses on the burgeoning love between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), but it also follows their former classmate Elle as she transfers to Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls, keeping her head down and just trying to acclimatize. Along the way, she befriends Tara and Darcy, played by Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell, and sparks fly between her and William Gao’s Tao Xu.
Appearing over Zoom with a shoulder-length bob, Teen Vogue caught up with Yasmin to unpack the fan response to Heartstopper, living out her high school fantasies, and what her future looks like.
Teen Vogue: Congratulations on Heartstopper. It's finally out in the world and Elle is fully realized on screen. What's the response been like?
Yasmin Finney: It has been indescribable. The response has been so overwhelmingly positive, and I don't think half of us expected this response, to be honest. And I'm just so happy that, you know, a trans representation is there and people are seeing it and people are feeling inspired by that. Yeah, it's been unbelievable.
TV: When I spoke with Joe [Locke], he said that playing Charlie taught him so much about being a better person. So I want to know, what have you learned by being Elle?
Yasmin: I've learned so much by being Elle. Well first of all, I just want to start by saying me and Elle are very, very similar. Even when it comes to our social life, when it comes to our school life, when it comes to our experience in high school. You know, it says in the series that she nearly got expelled because of her hair length, and I also nearly got expelled because of my hair length. And there's just so many things that Elle has taught me through filming. I guess, to be, you know, unapologetically yourself. And the fact that it doesn't even mention that she's trans in the series just really kind of shocked me and just gave me so much hope in the industry, because it goes to show that we don't really have to focus on the sad stuff and the bad stuff of being a trans person. We can really now just focus on the positive and the beautiful side of it.
TV: I love that. One thing that really struck a chord with me, watching Elle's relationship that is developing with Tao, is that he's saying "I'm the token straight friend" and then he catches feelings for Elle, and he's still straight. And that's all it is, there's no discussion to be had.
Yasmin: It's normalized.
TV: It's normalized and his identity stays the way that it is, because Elle is a girl, a young woman.
Yasmin: Period.
TV: Period. So Netflix's casting call asked for a trans girl of color. What went through your mind when you read those words?
Yasmin: I screamed! I literally screamed because I was like, there is no way that this is a casting call in British TV and film for a Black trans girl of color, like there's absolutely no way that this is happening. And at the time, I was still in college studying performing arts acting, so I kind of wanted to be an actor, but I didn't really see myself in the industry because there's such a lack of trans actors out there. So when I seen this casting call — girl! — when I tell you I literally flipped, like I was completely gagged. And also, my character was an international search because of the lack of trans actors out there. And that's also what was going through my mind. I was like, oh my God, there's gonna be thousands of people auditioning for Elle all over the world. And I've got to stand out somehow, and somehow I did. So yeah, it was, I was, speechless, basically.
TV: Oh, that makes my whole life. [Yasmin laughs]. I would love to see you in Doctor Who as the companion or something like that.
Yasmin: Oh my God. I mean, that would be a moment.
TV: Russell T Davies [creator of It's A Sin, and returning Doctor Who showrunner] get the phone!
Yasmin: I know. That would be insane. There's so much that I want to do. And it's not just trans roles that I want to play. I can't highlight that enough. I feel like I've kind of done my bit, I've played trans characters, and I feel like every trans story that I'm gonna get is valid, because I think every trans story is beautiful. But I think if we really want to implement change, we have to start seeing trans actors and actresses playing cis roles and just roles that don't highlight their sexuality and gender orientation. And hopefully, I'll get something like that this year. But we'll see...
TV: That kind of ties into my next question. You are living your best life as your truest self. What do you have to say to those who look up to you, or even to people who maybe don't necessarily see themselves in you, but they see who they could be?
Yasmin: You know, what I always think to myself when I watch Heartstopper, is I wish I had this when I was growing up, because I didn't. I didn't have anything to look up to, I didn't have anyone to look up to. And for a very long time, I felt helpless. And I felt unheard and invisible. And Heartstopper has just completely flipped that and I wish I had Heartstopper when I was growing up. Because I could see myself represented. And that's what literally everybody is messaging me, saying thank you so much for being that representation that the U.K. has so dearly needed for so long. It gives me butterflies and goosebumps every time I think about what has happened and what I've done and the work that Heartstopper, and the message Heartstopper, brings to the world. It's amazing.
TV: Off the back of that, so many queer people have mentioned that kind of melancholy with watching Nick and Charlie, and Tao and Elle, Darcy and Tara, all being happy baby queers. And then you've got people like me, who are so happy seeing that, but never got to experience that at high school. What do you think about that? Has that resonated with you personally?
Yasmin: Well, I can completely relate to that. Because I didn't have that in high school. I think, sadly, even though Heartstopper's out there, high school is still hell for pretty much 90% of queer people. And Heartstopper is a fantasy. When queer people watch it, it's like we escape. It's something that we watch and feel like, what if the world was like this, and it kind of gives us hope, in a way, but it's not the reality. It's really not. And I see that, and I had the hardest time in high school as well. So for me, I was just honored to be able to [live out] my high school fantasy on the set creating such a beautiful project.
TV: Alice wrote such a charming and affecting script. What was your acting process like, learning the script and bringing Elle to life? Did you have much say in your characterization, or perhaps the style of clothing that you wore or the way that your hair was done? I wrote in my feature with the two boys that with Elle, her edges are snatched.
Yasmin: [laughs] Period. I am so happy with the crew of Heartstopper, the hair and makeup team. They completely slayed it when it comes to my hair, when it comes to the outfit. I did have some ideas that I brought to them. And I was like, oh, this would be cute and, you know, my edges. We tried so many different hairstyles. And Elle's hair. I wish that was my hair, to be honest, but it's not. But the edges were a moment. I think everybody was so open as well, to taking in what the cast saw for their character as well, as well as Alice, as well as the producers. We all had an equal opportunity to throw around ideas, and that's what I loved.
TV: And that's probably what made it such a good project in the end, was that everybody had their input. Did you take anything from the set?
Yasmin: Oop. Well, I did, I did. I took a Zara crop top which I wore and some socks as well, because I forgot to take the socks off. Like after a 15 hour day and you're like, oh my God, like just rushing home and your driver's out there waiting for you. Then sometimes I would even just go home in the school skirt that I had just because I was a bit tired and I couldn't be bothered changing. And then [the costume department] would always shout at me like “you have to bring back the outfits.” But it was so fun. I think most of the cast did steal stuff.
TV: Okay, that's valid, we will allow that. I want to know, if Heartstopper is the representation for people today, then what was the media that made you feel represented when you were growing up, if any?
Yasmin: I'd have to say the obvious ones: Pose, Orange is the New Black, Laverne Cox. So many other YouTubers, I don't know if you know itsbambii. So many queer icons that I would watch when I was younger, and feel represented. [They were] pretty much all in America. That was the only thing though. So when I would use them as escapism and use their content to escape and to feel normalized, I'd just shut my phone off. And I'd realize I'm in the U.K. and that doesn't happen here, and it's kind of sad. But I think that's partially because we've only just started to get the representation that we need. And the Black queer community alone is so small, nevermind in the U.K. So yeah, there were so many icons, Angelica Ross, Mj Rodriguez, so many icons, so many.
TV: And now with your TikTok account, right, you've kind of done that for other people.
Yasmin: Yeah, well, I did start TikTok back in 2019, before Heartstopper, before all of that. And I would just use that to sort of document my trans journey. I felt like I didn't realize the impact it would make on so many people. Before Heartstopper, and then obviously now Heartstopper's come out it's like millions. But before everything, I was doing TikToks, and I was making content, just to cheer myself up as well, [despite] how hard my life was back then. And yeah, I think what also gagged me a little bit is that I feel like fate kind of interlinked because my TikTok followers translated into my Instagram followers. And then everybody, since Elle's casting call came out, everybody was sending me messages like, “Oh my God, Yasmin, this is you, you need to go for it.” And I feel like I wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for them, genuinely, because there were hundreds of people like “Oh my God, Yasmin, this is your moment” and I was like, “oop, girl!” I screamed, and I was like, this is it. And I'm telling you the goosebumps I had. Also the manifestation, everything, it kind of just all interlinked. I feel like when you really want something and you work for it, and you manifest it and you don't give up, it comes. I feel like I'm a good representation of that.
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TV: Had you been a fan of the Heartstopper books and webcomics before?
Yasmin: So no, I actually didn't know what Heartstopper was before I seen the casting search. I know that it was on Tumblr for a little bit and Alice had a book or two when the casting call came out … I was like, Oh my God, I need to go and get the books and I need to read and I need to invest into Alice Oseman's universe.
TV: Did you get them to sign the books?
Yasmin: [Laughs] I did! We all signed each other's books at the end of filming as well, which was so sweet. And I also had one of my P.E. tops that I did steal. I got them — you know like at the end of high school where everyone would sign your shirt? I actually got everybody to do that. So yeah, it was really like a high school fantasy for me, overall.
TV: That's so precious. Do you watch [RuPaul’s] Drag Race?
Yasmin: I've been really really busy recently, so I've not seen the new series, but I do, I love Drag Race.
TV: Okay, so with that in mind, if you had to lip sync for your life, what song would you choose?
Yasmin: Oh, that is a good question. Oh my God, there's so many. Probably “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence [and the Machine].
TV: Ooh, okay. Yeah.
Yasmin: Period.
TV: I see the vision, I love it. We roughly know what's next for Elle. But what about you? What's next for Yasmin? In career, in life, in vibes — whatever.
Yasmin: In vibes, I guess, just keeping my close circle around me and keeping my head held high at all times. Because even though I've got this platform now, I still do struggle like everybody else. And we all struggle. And being trans is still hard. It's not easy, you know? So I think for me, I'm just gonna be like: Be confident. Be you, keep doing you. And keep slaying it.
Heartstopper is streaming now on Netflix.
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Netflix’s “Heartstopper” Stars Want Everyone to See “How Amazing and Beautiful Queerness Is”
