Yasmin Finney: ‘I hope I’ll get roles that aren’t just about being trans’

Growing up on a council estate in Manchester in the early ’00s, Yasmin Finney’s childhood dream was to be a lollipop lady. While her classmates fantasised about being Buzz Lightyear or Hannah Montana, her inspiration was Catherine, the woman in the high-vis who ushered her safely home from school. ‘She was my favourite person. She would command the road with that lollipop,’ she tells me on Zoom, her Pomeranian pup Coconut draped on her lap like a blanket. ‘I wanted to be her.’

Things didn’t quite go to plan. Today, Finney is a global star known for playing Elle Argent in Heartstopper, Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s hugely successful YA books series about young queer love, as well as Rose Noble in Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Catherine Tate. She’s also a YSL and Tiffany ambassador, has been on several prestigious magazine covers, and has almost two million followers on TikTok. As a working class, Black trans woman she’s also a symbol of hope for people from a trifecta of marginalised communities. And she’s only just turned 21.

With season three of Heartstopper landing shortly, things are only going to take her further away from marshalling the school gates. This school year, Charlie and co are navigating UCAS forms, vodka hangovers, body hang ups and having sex for the first time. In other words: things start to get real at Truham Grammar.

For Elle, this means exploring her relationship with new boyfriend Tao (William Gao) and confronting what sex means and looks like for a young trans woman. ‘I got emotional so many times this season,’ says Finney, pausing to take it in. ‘It was really tough because it brought up emotions I’ve been through as Yasmin.’ 

North star

Raised in a single parent household in Trafford with her mother and half-sister, Finney’s childhood was far from the open-hearted fantasia of Oseman’s imagination. They’d often find themselves homeless, bouncing between hotel rooms, butting heads in the process. Her mother, a Jamaican Catholic, also struggled to accept her gender identity. ‘We didn’t see eye to eye at all at that time. It was really hard to live together,’ she remembers.

Finney has spoken openly about feeling invisible at home and being bullied by her peers during those formative years. ‘I never really left my council estate unless I was going to school and I would barely go there,’ she says. Her support system came largely from TikTok. She began documenting her transition in 2019, building a following of like-minded people and allies. She drew heavily on those experiences for a season of Heartstopper that sees Elle head to Lambert School of Art and build her own social media community in the process.  

Elle’s mum in Heartstopper is an example of what a parent should be

With time and the right tools Finney and her mother mended their relationship. ‘The support of family is so important to me as a queer person,’ she says. This personal dynamic also plays out in the new season. When a radio host uses Elle as a political football, her mum makes sure it’s an own goal. ‘Elle’s mum is an example of what a parent should be,’ Finney notes. You don’t necessarily have to understand what your child is going through; you just have to be there for them and support them – because they are enough.’ 

As for navigating sex and relationships as a trans woman, Finney says, ‘I wish I had something like Elle and Tao’s relationship in the real world. He really loves her for who she is. It's a beautiful thing.’ It’s clear, as we talk, doing these scenes justice is something that’s at the forefront of her mind. ‘The show explores the power of consent and gender dysphoria. Elle really struggles with that. I hope I played it well enough because I know the impact it can have.’ 

Elle and high water

So what does she share with her on-screen character? ‘Elle’s got it all figured out. She knows she wants to be an artist. She has this vision and sticks to it.’ Finney has the same focus. ‘I have this power of confidence that some people find intimidating,’ she says. But where they’re aligned in tenacity, they’re poles apart when it comes to relationships. ‘Being okay with distance like Elle is with Tao is something I cannot do. I need to be around someone 24/7. I need that emotional and mental support.’ 

Living authentically is also a non-negotiable for Finney. She speaks her truth and blocks out the noise. ‘I’ll go a whole day without my phone because the world of social media isn’t real,’ she says. Finney’s outlook doesn’t necessarily correlate with the numbers on her birth certificate. ‘I honestly feel old. I wouldn’t say I’m part of the Gen Z community, even though I know I am. I have the mindset of a 35-year-old who’s been through a lot of shit.’

I hope I’ll get roles that aren’t just about being trans. There’s so much more to us than that

That proverbial ‘shit’, she believes, can be the gold dust which separates the good from the great. ‘The most incredible actors come from hard, hard lives. You can sense the fight a lot more.’ She’s grateful for her often difficult path to stardom, she tells me. ‘The hardships I’ve faced – from people, mindset, circumstances and finances – have made me appreciate the fruits of my labour.’ As for her more privileged contemporaries? ‘Some of them live on a cloud.’ 

A seat at the table

This leads us, in a roundabout way, to talk about Eddie Redmayne. In 2015, the Eton-educated actor was nominated for an Oscar for The Danish Girl. He played Lili Elbe, a Danish painter who was one of the first recipients of gender confirmation surgery, which sparked a widespread debate about cisgender actors playing transgender roles. It was the start of a stepchange in casting choices, leading to more trans actors playing trans roles.

On this point, Finney is clear: ‘I don’t hate Eddie Redmayne. That’s what acting is, stepping into someone else’s shoes.’ If anything she sees his portrayal as a positive precedent which could help even the playing field. ‘I'll play trans roles until my grave, but in the future I hope I’ll get to play roles that aren’t just about the nature of being trans, because there’s so much more to us than that. If the door was open for everyone to play any role, this wouldn’t be a conversation.’ 

Setting the world of TV and film to rights is tomorrow’s job though. Today is about getting to grips with living and dating in the Big Smoke. Having recently moved to south London from Wales – which Finney describes as being ‘like London if it was full of Northerners’ – she is honest about adapting to her new life. ‘It’s not easy living by yourself – paying rent, bills, taxes, everything.’ She looks down at the ball of fluff curled into her oversized jumper. ‘Looking after another living species.’

She’s also been floored by the capital’s sharp edges. ‘It can sometimes feel like no one really cares. We can all get so wrapped up in our own world that it can be a really selfish place.’ That fast pace also leaves room for superficiality to thrive, she notes with a sigh. ‘People can get wrapped up in the idea of you, instead of the reality. They’re often attracted to the exterior and not necessarily the interior.’ 

With our time nearly at an end, I feel a need to check if she’s also doing the messy, coming-of-age montage bits; the post-gig greasy kebab, the wobbly Lime bike over Westminster Bridge. Has she experienced that south London rite of passage yet: the Clapham Grand at 2am? ‘Oh yeah, I’ve done that,’ she laughs. It’s really easy to imagine Finney there, throwing wild shapes to ’90s bangers on the dancefloor. To picture her being recognised by a lone fan eager to thank her for helping them through the challenges and joys of being a queer teen. Lollipop lady Catherine would be proud. 

Heartstopper season 3 launches on Netflix worldwide Oct 3.

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