Yes, you read that right. I am in Heartstopper Forever, the Heartstopper Movie that has just been released on Netflix and concludes the hit graphic novel & TV series.
Now, whilst this is hugely exciting for me, I do want to express that when I say I am in it…I am only an extra they used in one scene. One extra amongst hundreds. But it feels no less exciting or special for me, and it was such a fantastic day getting to be part of the final movie! So, I thought I’d share my experience getting to be one tiny part of this film.
First, some context. I first discovered Heartstopper during COVID. I was working full time as a nurse in Paediatric Intensive Care, and life was heavy. My friend sent me a copy of volume one as a gift to cheer me up. I read it in record time and instantly came to love this wonderful, heartwarming story, and instantly ordered the rest of the series currently out, and again, read them in record time. Since then, I’ve followed the progress of the novels and the creation of the TV series. I actually wrote a post on this site after series one aired, about why I think Heartstopper is such a fantastic book & TV series and what a positive impact they have in the world – you can read that post here: Heartstopper: The Show I Wish I’d Had Growing Up
Just over a year ago, on the 3rd July 2025, Alice Oseman shared a post on Instagram, sharing that the show will not be getting a final series, but a final film, and there is an open call for extras to be included. I saw the post and initially didn’t think I was going to apply, as Heartstopper is a global phenomenon – there’s no way I’d be chosen! But in the end, decided I had nothing to lose, so I sent off my application.
A couple of weeks later, on the 11th July 2025, I got the very exciting email…I was one of the successful applicants, and I was going to be in the movie!
As would be expected, there were many forms that needed to be filled in, ID checking and all the legal, official boxes to be ticked, and then I got sent the very exciting information: where I needed to be and when, and what the day would entail. Even though I was just an extra, everything was still carried out very officially, really showing that the company values everyone who was a part of this film, and they made it clear they felt that everyone was important.
By the time all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed, I only had a week or so to go until the day itself. I applied on the 3rd, got the acceptance email on the 11th, the final forms were completed on the 18th, and I got the final confirmation on the 23rd, with filming day being on the 27th. So from the first email confirming I was successful to the filming day, there wasn’t very long at all; everything happened very efficiently!
I kept having a pinch-me moment; I kept thinking they’d email me and say they made a mistake, but nope…it was real, and I got this chance! I really was going to be in Heartstopper’s final movie.
As I said, in the lead-up to the day, we were sent a contract of sort of what behaviour they expected, what we needed to bring or not, what to wear, and where we needed to go, at what time. I was asked not to bring anything too bulky and ideally not a huge bag, that lunch would be provided (how kind!), but snacks could be brought too, and we could wear whatever we wanted *except* any Heartstopper-branded things – what with us being *in* Heartstopper, that made sense. Bright, colourful clothing was hugely encouraged. Luckily for me, my mum says my wardrobe rivals Elton John’s, so finding something colourful was nice and easy! So, my bag was packed with water, snacks and my ID, all ready for the following day.
27/07/2025 – Filming day!
A nice early wake-up call for me – I was told to be at Maidenhead station between 09:00 and 09:20 sharp for the bus to pick me and some other people up and take us to the next location. I obviously didn’t want to be late, so I was up at 7 am, out of the house by 7:45 am and on my train by 08:00 am.
Although she will never read it, this is where I say a huge thank you to my darling mum. I was willing to get myself up and out and park the car at the station, but she knew what this meant to me, and I’d be a bundle of nerves and excitement, so she kindly woke up at this early hour with me, confirmed that what I was wearing looked good and dropped me off at the station. I guess some things parents and kids never outgrow, despite how old we get!
On arrival at the station, lo and behold, there was a minibus waiting. The staff checked my name and ID matched who they were expecting, and onto the bus I went. The bus had every seat filled with other successful applicants, and there was a buzz of excitement that I could feel already. Off we went! Except we then got stuck in traffic down a country lane for 15 minutes… What was the cause? A car boot sale. We were all excited to be filming Heartstopper that day, but clearly the boot sale was the place to be!
Car boot sale chaos aside, we then arrived at a school, where we were told to form an orderly queue as we got checked in and showed our IDs and confirmations, and we were given a wristband. We were then told to go through to the next stage, where people were on hand to help with outfits, hair and make-up. I could see people adding pieces to their outfits, be that scarves, hats or changing t-shirts, and others getting their make-up and hair adjusted or changed. I was loving taking everything in. I wasn’t needed here, so I got to go through this section to the next part, which was a brilliantly pleasant surprise – a breakfast/snack selection! I knew it would be a long day when I woke up, so I had eaten breakfast at home, but I did highly enjoy having a nice hot coffee and biscuits. They’d laid out such an array of choices – bacon rolls, biscuits, fruit, tea, coffee, juices…perfect to fuel ourselves with whilst we waited.
Whilst sat chatting to the other people there, someone from the make-up department came around and jazzed us up a little with some rainbow stickers on our faces, and we all got given another wristband to say we are members of Truham Pride. I got given a lovely little sticker of some rainbow lips put onto my cheek! Then we were moved again to another part of the school; we were taken to an assembly hall to take a seat and await further instructions – I’m sure by now you’re gathering, as exciting as filming was, there was also lots of moving and waiting! The hall we were sitting in was the very assembly hall used and seen in the Heartstopper TV series! We sat here and waited a while before being told to follow someone, and we were put onto another bus and taken to another location.
The next location ended up being in the back garden of a lovely pub! We were told this would be our base for the day, so whilst filming, this would be where we left our belongings, and until filming time, we could make ourselves comfortable here. We were kindly allowed any soft drinks from the bar for free, which, given it was a beautifully sunny and warm day, was gratefully received. We sat here for a short while, chatting, sharing snacks and playing games…it was such a warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It was so nice to meet people of all backgrounds, and there was such a strong feeling of positive, accepting energy.
We waited in this pub garden for a good couple of hours as the final touches were made where we were to film, and at about 12:00, we were then taken through the pub to a high street which had been brilliantly decked out all ready for a Pride parade! We were spread out all along the street, along barriers. They made sure everyone was in a line on both sides of the road, with no one having to stand behind anyone else. At this point, people were walking down the road, handing out floral leis, hats and flags to everyone to add more colour to our appearances or to have something to wave. I was given a rainbow bucket hat to wear, which I wore with…well, with pride!
The team that had prepared the street had done a fantastic job; there were both pride flags and flags for various aspects of the LGBTQ+ spectrum everywhere, banners and decorations galore, and every shop front had even been changed to Truham instead of Maidenhead. I was placed opposite the Truham pharmacy! It was really cool seeing the Pride parade performers (try saying that 3 times faster) get ready to shoot. People were rollerblading in circles, stretching, or just comparing costumes. The feeling of excitement was palpable from all around.
Once the team were all happy with the set and everyone’s placement, the director – Wash Westmoreland – walked up and down the road and gave a little speech with a megaphone thanking everyone for being there and following the instructions efficiently, and then ran through how filming this scene would work; he asked us to act as if we were at a pride parade, so please cheer and clap and shout, be respectful…but also do not act any differently when we see the lead cast members of the show – in world, they’re ordinary teenagers so we needed to reflect that. He said we were allowed to film and take photos, as you would at a normal pride parade, but do not be too over the top – and of course, most importantly – have fun!
With that, it was time for the first take! So, everyone else there and I did as we were asked and cheered and celebrated Pride as the Pride parade headed down the high street. All in all, one take was about…5 minutes? And then, cut! “We’re going to do it again. Please continue to be loud, enthusiastic and excited, keep that energy up”… which we heard about 9 times. I’m absolutely serious – the one Pride scene took approximately 10 takes to do! It just goes to show the sheer amount of work that goes into making a film. This was all just for one scene!
I filmed parts of the first take only, as I wanted to be as present as possible. As previously said, we were told we are allowed to film and take photos, as long as it doesn’t take away from why we are there. I was filming whilst cheering and clapping, so the video is shaking, but I thought it would be nice to share, to give an idea of what it was like filming. You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/c7egNUMgDwE
So, after each take, it was a reset. This means everything goes back to the way it was at the start, ready to do it all again. At the start of the filming, we were told that the floats can’t drive backwards, so they had to go aaallll the way around the block every single time a take was completed. If you’ve ever been to a Pride parade, you’ll know: they’re slow. So between takes it was probably a good 20 minutes give or take before everything was reset and we were ready to go again…and thus the day panned out! Adjustments were made, such as different camera angles, moving people who were part of the parade around and such, but the general structure and routine were the same. I just made sure that between every take, I was having a bit of a snack and a drink to keep my energy up, to make sure I had the same enthusiasm to cheer for every take we did!
I will admit, after that first take, I did get emotional and have a little cry. It made me think that in an ideal world, we wouldn’t need Pride. In an ideal world, people could love who they love and be who they are, and filming this scene really hit me with how important Pride and community are. It really does save people and give that sense of belonging and acceptance that is so crucial and that everyone deserves. But, luckily for me, I was in such a safe space with such kind, loving people around me, so after loving support and hugs, all was well.
After about 5 or 6 takes, we all took a quick break for lunch, still on set, so they didn’t have to go through moving everyone back to their positions afterwards…and then here we went again! Despite the process being somewhat slow and repetitive, never for one second did I lose interest. I was fuelled with adrenaline at being there and being a part of it all! Between chatting to other extras and the Pride performers and seeing the close attention to detail from every member of the company, there was so much to take in.
At one point, I also got to watch Alice Oseman draw Nick and Charlie on the clapperboard being used that day for the film, and then watched as they used that very clapperboard and, with the extras across the street from me, filmed some fun little bits for social media use. Getting to see Alice Oseman draw these characters so many people have come to love, live in person, was really cool, to say the least. You can watch a little video of that here: https://youtu.be/xTpqO0c-iuM
Of course, when resetting became a bit of an energy lull, people will find ways to occupy themselves… a clear memory I have is that between some of the final takes, we all did a big singalong to ‘Do You Believe In Life After Love’ – completely spontaneously! It was great fun and gave everyone a big energy boost. It was also actually at this point that they decided they weren’t going to drive the float all around to reset; they were just going to go backwards this time – cue the Heartstopper cast members on the float reversing, set to the soundtrack of hundreds of us singing Cher at the top of our lungs! Watch a very short clip of that here: https://youtube.com/shorts/TtOrasDU-N0?feature=share
And then it was time for the final take! So, we all gathered all the energy we had left, poured it into one final, brilliant and emotional take…and then we heard Wash Westmoreland shout “And CUT – that’s a wrap!”… and that was it! Everyone was clapping and cheering and hugging each other, and Wash gave a speech that moved several of us (including me) to tears. See, this was not just any Heartstopper filming day. For pretty much the whole cast, bar Joe Locke and Kit Connor, it was wrap day for the whole film, and therefore the whole series. Not only did we get to be part of Heartstopper Forever, but we also got to be part of one of the last days of this franchise.
During Wash’s speech, he gave a lot of thank-yous – to the extras, the Pride parade performers, the people operating cameras and lights – everyone got acknowledged and thanked for their work. He then thanked Alice Oseman and the cast members who had just wrapped the film, and we saw Alice giving gift bags of flowers to everyone. It was so heartwarming and emotional seeing everyone hugging and thanking each other. It felt like such a special, significant moment that I feel privileged to have been able to share and be a part of.
You can watch a very small snippet of the speech here: https://youtube.com/shorts/dlbZobPsbz0?feature=share
After the flowers, hugs, thank yous and goodbyes…that was it! We were asked to please not show any photos or videos from that day until the day the film comes out. Then, in groups, we were taken back to the pub to get all our belongings, and then we were shepherded to the buses. I said a fond farewell to the friends I’d made that day, and then it was time to go. As we were helped into buses, we all got given a lovely keepsake of the day – a Heartstopper Pride tote bag designed to look like a clapperboard, with details of the filming day on it. Getting to be there was a huge honour, so this was such a kind thing for them to have organised for us all! Back on the bus, which took us back to Maidenhead station, and then back onto the train for the journey home. We didn’t finish filming until about 17:00, and I wasn’t on the train until about 18:30! So yes, a very surreal, long, emotional and therefore exhausting day, but in the best way possible. I went home and couldn’t believe that was what I’d spent the day doing!
And that was it! Here we are, a year later, and the film is out, and I can now watch the film, watch our scene in context, and smile with great fondness. I’ve loved Heartstopper for years, so I was hugely excited for the last book and film, but this amazing day has elevated that excitement. I also couldn’t write this whole post without saying why media like Heartstopper is so important. It has the power to bring comfort and representation to people and make them feel less alone. That is something powerful that cannot be understated.
Whilst it is sad to be saying goodbye to this series I love so much, what a special goodbye this is. I am so happy, grateful, and full of love for this franchise and to have had the opportunity to be a tiny part of it. The person I was when Heartstopper first came out feels like a lifetime ago, so it all feels very full circle, and that sunny day in July 2025 is one I will never forget. What a wonderful, unforgettable experience. I don’t have enough words for my emotions, but hopefully what I have written gives you some idea.
So, there you have it! I am in Heartstopper Forever, the Heartstopper movie. No, really.
The movie is now on Netflix, and I am off to go and celebrate with my friends and watch it for the first time! (And let’s be honest, probably almost definitely cry).
And just in case anyone involved with any aspect of Heartstopper ever comes to read these words I’ve written…thank you. That doesn’t feel like enough, but it’s all I can think to say.
Note: I know I was just an extra, so this probably all sounds very dramatic and more important than it actually is, but it means a lot to me. I just wanted to add that.
One Show at a Time 