Tobie Donovan, best known for his role as the quiet, bookish Isaac Henderson in Netflix’s hit series Heartstopper, is quickly making his mark as one of the freshest faces in the acting world. Hailing from Bath, England, Tobie’s passion for acting began at a young age, with early training at the Bath Academy Theatre. Though he originally set his sights on theatre, that changed when he landed his breakthrough role through an open casting call for Heartstopper. The show, which is based on a graphic novel series by Alice Oseman, has since captivated audiences with its heartfelt representation of LGBTQIA+ stories. As Isaac, a character who embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the show’s second season, Tobie brings depth and authenticity to a storyline that has resonated deeply with fans.
The English actor’s creativity extends beyond the screen. During Heartstopper’s first season, he documented behind-the-scenes moments with a series of YouTube vlogs, earning him a Silver Play Button Award for reaching over 100,000 subscribers. Between seasons, Tobie returned to his theatrical roots with a role in Paper Cut at the Park Theatre, further showcasing his versatility as a performer. Whether on stage, screen, or social media, Tobie is certainly a name to watch as his career continues to flourish.
1883 sits down with the actor to chat all things Heartstopper, books, fashion, and whether he will continue his vlogs.
What can you tell us about Isaac’s journey in the third season of Heartstopper?
This season picks up right where we left off at the end of season two. Isaac’s just picked up the book about asexuality and has found this kind of vocabulary to describe how he’s been feeling. And so going into this season, Isaac got this knowledge about himself now, but it’s coming to share that with the people that he loves and his friends and family, which, as we all know, can be a very difficult thing. So there’s definitely some tension around how he lets his friends know, and his friends kind of misunderstand what he’s going through. I think it’s a really interesting story. I’m excited for people to see it.
Isaac isn’t really a character in the comics. He’s a combination of different characters, which allows you to make him your own in a way. What parts of you did you give Isaac and what parts of Isaac’s character do you feel you’ve absorbed and adapted?
There was no reference for Isaac in the comics which can be a really exciting and amazing thing, and it can be a difficult thing in this industry. For me, it was very exciting to get to build something from scratch and to bring something new to this world. Like you say, he fills in the gaps for Aled from the comics, but actually, I think they’re quite different characters. What I’ve learned and taken from Isaac is his listening. He’s a very good listener and is always aware of what’s going on in the group, which I think is an amazing quality. So I try and be more like that. Things that I gave to Isaac… I’m not naturally quite as quiet and bookwormish as he is. I think that I tap into that part of myself that likes to be quiet. I’m a very introverted extrovert. So when I need to be quiet, that’s the bit that I tap into to play Isaac.
The show does a really good job of shining light on different aspects of growing up and being a teenager. Are there any parts of it that really resonated with you?
I think my main attraction to this project, every time we do it, every year, is always the impact that it has on on young queer audiences. It was, unfortunately, quite fresh when it first came out of telling these queer stories in such a positive, lovely mindset. Every time we get to do it, I always try and, like, think about when I was younger, or, you know, young queer kids out there now that can maybe have a rubbish day at school and not feel themselves and then come home and put our show on and see loads of lovely people like them.
There isn’t a lot of representation of ace/aro characters on screen. Did you have any conversations with Alice before or during filming where you discussed this aspect of him so that you were able to best represent him and these communities?
We didn’t use the word aromantic too much last year, because I think it must be really overwhelming to discover that you’re asexual and then having that extra layer of being aromantic. We didn’t want to shove too much revelation on this poor 15-year-old [laughs]. So this season, we definitely unpack that more. And yeah, I spoke to Alice a lot. I was very grateful that a lot of it is on the page and is in the scripts for me, so my job is to just kind of show up and do justice to that. I really wanted to make sure that we were starting out on the right foot with telling this story,
So in season two, when Isaac was getting to know James, he wasn’t sure then how he was feeling about him romantically?
The storyline with James, I don’t know if it was intentional, but I felt like it kind of paralleled Nick and Charlie’s season one journey in a lot of ways. There’s the like, sitting in the corridor kissing moment, which is shot in a way that looks quite similar to when Nick and Charlie have their first kiss. And there are lots of moments that happen that are sort of parallel, and Isaac’s going on this journey of trying to work himself out. And, you know, with Nick, it goes really well, and he finds Charlie and everything that he needs, but with Isaac, it doesn’t go so well. And so that was really interesting. It wouldn’t feel fair to the character or to the asexual and aromantic communities to just give an explanation and then education for people who don’t know. We’ve done those things with, you know, teaching people that don’t know what asexuality is about it, but we’re also doing it in a way that creates a good story and good drama intention. You see this character go through real highs and lows. Last season was a lot of lows for Isaac, and this season, what I’ve loved playing is coming into those highs.
What I find so realistic is how these teenagers turn to Google and social media when they’re looking for these answers. And then Isaac turns to books because that’s his favourite form of media.
We always knew that Isaac was going to pick up that book. How else would he learn anything?
Are you a reader like Isaac?
I’m not a big bookworm. I’m getting there. I really enjoy books. I enjoy books more now than I ever have. I think probably because of Isaac, but I don’t feel that I’m yet in a position to recommend things to other people, because I read really niche books about drama and old plays and making theater. So it’s probably not very exciting.
Will you be continuing your vlogs?
Maybe? I don’t know. I really felt that it was important to document that first season and that journey of how fresh we all were. And I’m really glad that I have those videos, but I made them for me and for my friends to watch. And so we now have that lovely memory that we can go back to whenever, but season three, um, there might be something.
One vlog?
I’m still working out my plan. But there will be some kind of behind-the-scenes from me.
This was your first acting role for a TV show. Were there any parts of filming that really surprised you that you hadn’t known before?
The whole thing was like a big baptism by fire. We were thrown majorly into the deep end of making a huge Netflix show when we’d never done anything before. But I think I’m someone who learns well by doing things and messing up. It was perfect for me to kind of mess around, figure out what works and what doesn’t work in that first season, and then season two, coming back, kind of knowing more about what we’re doing. I think I’ve never been very good at sitting down and learning something and I’m definitely a learn-on-the-job kind of guy.
How does it feel to see the positive reception and being a part of a project that’s become so special to millions of people?
It’s so amazing. Knowing that you’re making something that people care about is the best feeling in the world because so often in this industry, you’ll put so much love into a show that no one ever sees. And that’s also okay because it’s about the experience for you as an actor. But this job is so rewarding and we get to do stuff like this, and we get to talk about it and celebrate the amazing thing that it is. Yeah, I’m very grateful to be a part of it.
Were you familiar with the graphic novels before you got the role?
I wasn’t. No, I’d never heard of them. But when I got the role, I read everything very fast.
Outside of acting, one thing that’s apparent is you’re into fashion. Is that something you’re passionate about and something you’d like to pursue in a professional manner in the future?
I definitely don’t have the kind of creative ability to make clothes myself, but it’s an industry that I’m fascinated by, and I really enjoy clothes, so I’d love any excuse to wear nice clothes.
You were part of a play called Paper Cut on Park Theatre between the first two seasons. What was that experience like?
I love theater. I want to do some more. That was kind of how I started off acting — doing theater. What I loved the most about that job was the people that I got to work with and getting to be back in the theater and playing that every night.
What’s next for you?
Nothing that I can share at the minute, but I’d love to do more theatre, TV, and film. I want to do it all. I feel like I’m still so young, and I’ve got a lot of time ahead of me in this industry if I’m going to be doing it until I’m 90. Yeah, I want to do everything. I want to play around and find what my favourite things to do are now while I’ve got the opportunities. Hopefully, you’ll see me on a stage and a screen and everywhere.
Heartstopper is streaming now on Netflix.
Interview Naureen Nashid
Photography Jason Jude
Styling Danny Jennings
Grooming Salina Thind
Assistants Caroline Raymond & Dani
