At 19, the British actress Yasmin Finney She is considered a trans icon thanks to her character from heand in the hit Netflix series heartstopper that tomorrow Thursday premieres its second season. Yasmin’s story began in Tik Tok when she decided to document her life as a black and trans teen, which for many young people was courageous, inspiring and an act of empowerment. With no acting experience, the producers soon set their sights on her: actor Billy Porter from the series Posehe signed her to be the protagonist of what if, his directorial debut, which unfortunately did not see the light of day due to the pandemic. Then the director of heartstopperselected her for ellethe trans friend of the protagonists. “When I discovered elleI discovered myself”Finney said on some occasion, who today shares details of the second installment of the series, in this interview granted by Netflix.
-Tell us about Elle and Tao. how does it feel elle about them at the beginning of the season and what can we expect from their relationship?
–Elle and TaoThey are just perfect together. They are so perfectly imperfect that it is a joy to watch them. When you see their relationship on screen, you just want to squeeze both of them because they are both very young and naive and don’t know how to express their emotions to each other. They do it in the stupidest way, but it’s beautiful and natural.
– What challenges will your character face this season?
–elle He is going through many challenges, not only from having to decide what he wants to do at the end of the school year, but also from his relationship with CAT and find out where you want to be. I am very proud of elle this season. I really put blood, sweat, and tears into it, so I hope it’s worth it.
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William Gao and Yasmin Finney as Tao and Elle.
-Did you feel pressure to start the second season after the unusual success of the first?
-Absolutely. The first season was just our little show. We had no idea what it would be. I didn’t go to drama school and I can’t speak for anyone else, but I didn’t have that experience. I went on set literally without any professional training. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. So for me, what was interesting was that I remember learning from everyone. Going from that to the second season after leaving doctor who and have a little more experience, it’s crazy. How a single job can make you feel so secure! I remember when I went back to the second season, I was like, “I’m ready.” We had a lot of fun, but it seemed like we came together as a collective. We all knew that the fan base was real and that the pressure was there. And the weight of the fandom of heartstopper it was on our shoulders. I just didn’t want to let them down, so I definitely worked harder than ever on the show and I’m very proud of myself for that.
.-How has your life changed since the first season of heartstopper?
-I cannot explain how blessed I am, how happy, protected and safe I feel. I am super blessed to be able to tell these trans stories that obviously needed to be told a long time ago., and have the reward so young. I guess it’s just navigating that world, right? I don’t think anyone can prepare you for an overnight change like that.
-Would you mind sharing a message from a fan that really impacted you in some way?
-All the responses from fans are just…a shock. I always pinch myself when I get messages and always try to reply to as many as I can. The main ones are: “I went out today.” They mark the date, say that I have inspired them in some way. And usually it’s a similar thing. It’s like, “I got out today because of you.” Some even go so far as to say: “You saved my life”, which is crazy to think because I was that girl too. And I’m so thankful that I can be that beacon of hope for people because it’s possible. You can do whatever you want in this life, I think you just have to keep your head up.
With the boys from school.
-Why is it vital for us to see trans love and joy on screen now more than ever?
Representation is a powerful thing. With all the messages I get on Instagram, on Twitter, everywhere people can contact me: “Now that I’ve seen elle, I can talk to my mother”, “I can watch the program with my parents, I can feel my most authentic self”. This is literally because you’re on the screen and you’re just being yourself. And it’s shocking. This should have happened so long ago. I remember before it came out heartstopper, I was looking for that representation, but it was Americanized. I couldn’t really find someone on screen who looked like me, who was my age and who spoke like me.
–there are more characters queer in heartstopper than straight, which is still very unusual on today’s television. Why is it important to see this?
-When I look back on the shows I had when I was younger, I was Posewhich had a cast queer completely black, which is amazing. Had Orange is the New Black with Laverne Cox. She had Paris Is Burning, like a bunch of things that I could see and think, “Wow, this is what I want to be.” However, everything is Americanized. But it’s still who I am deep down. I related to it. Especially the Indya Moore and Evan Peters scene where she says: “Do you love me as a trans woman?“I haven’t seen that scene in years because it makes me cry all the time. Now with Elle and Tao It’s going to be a massive moment. I can see. I can see people recreating that scene. I remember when I saw that scene from Pose and now I’m very proud that I was able to create something that lives up to that and something that idealizes a trans person in a positive light that isn’t negative. And something that is just powerful for the viewer. I am super grateful for that.
-What has been your favorite thing about working on the second season so far?
-It was nice to see everyone again. We were all doing our own thing and growing as ourselves, so I guess coming back and seeing them was just… I always have the biggest smile on my face when I see them because it’s like a tight-knit little family. The good thing is that we are all going through the same thing of fame overnight. It’s nice to be able to go through it with other people to see how they handle it and see their thought process.. I am always learning, we are all quite young.
-Music is such an integral part of heartstopper. If you could choose a song from the series to represent your character, what would it be?
–Dog Days are Over by Florence & The Machine because it’s like a new beginning. The heatwave is over, the hide-and-seek is over. elle she gets to get into herself, and we all see that and she’s a boss. That song, to me, resonates a lot with her.
The protagonists with Elle.
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