Here’s why Olivia Colman really left Heartstopper Forever as Nick Nelson’s mum Sarah was recast

After a long two-year wait, Netflix finally released Heartstopper Forever, and like many viewers, the first thing I noticed was that Nick’s mum, Sarah Nelson, aka Olivia Colman, had been recast.

For the first two seasons of Heartstopper, Sarah was played by the very iconic, Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman. She became everyone’s favourite. That emotional season one scene where Nick comes out to his mum as bisexual still lives rent-free in my head.

But in Heartstopper Forever, Olivia Colman is no longer playing Sarah. The role has been taken over by Anna Maxwell Martin.

So, why was Olivia Colman recast?

via Netflix

Well, as much as people might want to think there is some juicy gossip behind it, Olivia was not able to return because of her filming schedule.

As you might remember, Olivia wasn’t in Heartstopper season three either. To fill the gap, Aunt Diane was introduced. Speaking to Forbes in 2024, Olivia said, “I couldn’t do number three, I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that. I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”

But when the film was announced, a lot of people expected to see Olivia return to the role, which she sadly couldn’t do. And because Olivia couldn’t return, the team had to either remove Sarah Nelson completely or find another actress to take on the role. And as we now know, they decided to recast.

So, why did Heartstopper Forever recast Sarah instead of removing her?

Since the beginning of Heartstopper, Nick and his mum have had a really close relationship. Sarah has always been someone Nick can rely on, especially during difficult moments.

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Alice Oseman explained to Netflix’s Tudum, “When beginning to work on the Heartstopper Forever screenplay, I knew how important it was that Sarah, Nick’s mum, appeared in the story. Since season one, we have seen how close Nick is with his mum. She’s one of the few people he can turn to in moments of crisis.”

She added, “While in season three, we were able to tweak the story to avoid any appearance of Sarah, it felt nonsensical for her to be absent from this final chapter, given some of the emotional struggles Nick faces.”

Anna Maxwell Martin now plays Sarah Nelson

via Netflix

Anna Maxwell Martin is known for shows like Motherland and Ludwig, as well as films including Philomena and Becoming Jane.

Even though Anna is an amazing actress and has won two British Academy Television Awards, taking over from Olivia Colman was always going to be a big challenge. This is mostly because people already loved Olivia’s version of Sarah. But Alice Oseman was excited about the new casting.

She said, “We are overjoyed to welcome the incredible Anna Maxwell Martin into the role of Sarah for Heartstopper Forever. Anna perfectly embodies Sarah’s gentle, down-to-earth energy. And it was magical to witness her scenes with Kit Connor during the film shoot.”

Alice also added, “We are deeply grateful for Olivia’s beautiful performance as Sarah in seasons one and two of Heartstopper through such iconic moments as Nick coming out as bisexual. And we know that her performance will live on in the hearts of every Heartstopper fan.”

Heartstopper Forever is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.