Meet Yasmin Finney: The trans actress stealing our hearts as Elle in Heartstopper

Heartstopper has stolen viewers’ hearts, and already has a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One of our favourite Heartstopper characters is Elle, played by Yasmin Finney, who has just moved from Higgs School for Girls after being at Truham Grammar School with Tao, Charlie, and Isaac.

Yasmin Finney is only 18-years-old, and whilst she has previously starred in theatre productions such as DNA, Port, and Antigone, Heartstopper is her first TV show!! Here’s everything you need to know about Yasmin Finney, who stole the show as Elle Argent in Heartstopper on Netflix.

Yasmin Finney, like her Heartstopper character Elle, is trans

Yasmin says it’s really rare to get a trans character who doesn’t delve into gender dysphoria or depression. She told Popbuzz: “Everything that is natrual about being trans is being highlighted, and I’m just do happy to be that positive representation that we’ve needed for so many years.”

In an interview with Revamp Magazine, Yasmin says her favourite film is The Princess and The Frog. She says she can releate to Princess Tiana in that she has to work so much harder and understands love looks deeper than looks when it comes down to personality.

She has over 600k followers on her TikTok

She first went viral on TikTok, sharing her experience as a trans woman growing up in Manchester, which has been watched more than twelve million times and she currently has 654.3k followers on the platform. As well as TikTok’s where she shares her experiences she also features plenty of behind-the-scenes action and fun with her fellow castmates.

She recenty posted a video to the Harry Styles As It Was trend showing how far she has come in her transition. That video has over two million views and the comment section is currently full of Heartstopper fans sharing so much love for her – you can watch the video below.

@yazdemand🏳️‍⚧️♬ As It Was – Harry Styles

Her other socials are equally as fun, and she boats 341k followers on Instagram, where she frequently shares behind-the-scenes photoshoot shots and pics with the cast. Her handle is @yazdemand!

She’s been cast in Billy Porter’s directorial debut film

Last year, it was announced she would be starring in the directorial feature debut from POSE star Billy Porter. The feature film is called “What If?” and is described as a ‘coming-of-age romantic-comedy. She was also featured in GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list in late June 2021, which honors “the LGBTQ youth shaping the future.

In the future, Yasmin has said that she says she would “just love it if I could play a cis role and just tell a great story and not necessarily one that has to capitalise on my sexuality or gender orientation. I think it’s important trans people get equal opportunity at the cis roles as well as the trans roles.”

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

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