Who Plays Tao Xu On Heartstopper?

In author Alice Oseman's comic series on which Netflix's teen drama "Heartstopper" is based, Tao Xu is the best friend of Charlie Spring. Charlie's romance with Nick Nelson, a fellow student one year his senior, serves as its story's core.

Actor Kit Connor joined "Heartstopper" in hopes of expanding queer representation, he once revealed in an interview about taking on the role of Nick in Netflix's TV adaptation. Opposite Connor is Joe Locke as Charlie. While Connor started acting years prior to his "Heartstopper" debut, Locke is a newcomer whose past work consists entirely of theatrical gigs. Locke isn't the only inexperienced screen actor in the main cast of "Heartstopper" either — both Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle Argent, and Cormac Hyde-Corrin, who plays Harry Greene, are among the show's multitude of debuting talents.

Meanwhile, William Gao plays Tao Xu in the Netflix series. Gao is also new to the world of screen acting, appearing for the first time in a non-theatrical capacity in "Heartstopper." He may not remain unknown to those outside of the "Heartstopper" fandom for long, however, now that his star is rapidly rising thanks to Tao's popularity among the show's considerable viewership.

In an interview Mixed Asian Media published just weeks after "Heartstopper" Season 1 premiered on Netflix, Tao Xu actor William Gao revealed that he joined the series via an open casting call. "I got it through my youth theater. I was doing a lot at the National Youth Theater, and the casting call came through, and it was like 'Tao, 15-year-old British East Asian.' And I was like, yeah, let's try for it," he recalled.

Gao spoke to British GQ around eight months later, in January 2023, at which point he already appeared to be primed for a bright future in Hollywood. GQ conducted this interview during Paris Fashion Week, which Gao attended courtesy of acclaimed French fashion brand Kenzo. There, he sat alongside some of his fellow young stars like Lil Baby, Troye Sivan and Arlo Parks.

"I never thought my invitation into it would happen this abruptly. It's been zero to 100 and to be honest, it's quite intense. The attention is quite crazy," Gao said of his entry into the world of high fashion. The article also notes that, at the time of its writing, Gao was in constant contact with casting directors, planning his hotly-anticipated "Heartstopper" follow-up. For now, fans can look forward to his return to the role that got him this far in "Heartstopper" Season 2 which hits Netflix on August 3.