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Yasmin Finney Has Been Getting Death Threats Since Heartstopper Aired
“Every day is a risk, every day is a life or death situation."
When Netflix dropped Heartstopper, the beloved LGBTQ+ teen series that took over our hearts and social media last year, every actor behind the main characters instantly became stars.
Yasmin Finney, the 19-year-old playing Elle Argent, was one of them.
She is a “Black trans girl living my life authentically” both on and off the show, but as she just revealed to Teen Voguein a new cover story, the fame isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
Finney revealed that the popularity that comes with being a show as massively successful as Heartstopper “also comes with a lot of danger.”
“Every day is a risk, every day is a life or death situation," she says. "Not only do I have the pressure of the community, but I've also got people following me on private accounts sending death threats.”
Along with a pressure of being a role model, Finney is also "Always making sure that I’m safe, always making sure that I’m surrounded with the right people, and always making sure that I’ve got my head held high in any situation, whether that’s being misgendered on set or being misgendered in my real life.”
It's the sad reality of representation. “It's really scary," she says. "But it's also life, and it's what comes with the role.”
There is some good though. Finney has chatted with people who have shared how her character inspired their real lives. "Loads of people come up to me and they're like, 'I'm in my 40s, but your show still really affects me.' I have people that are 30 messaging me, being like, ‘Oh, my God, I came out as trans because I saw Elle.’”
Finney hopes that positivity in her life and on TV work its way out into the real world.
“If we look at the world itself, how we keep going backwards and forwards, how trans people are always used as a political football in everybody's debate, when in reality there are so [many] other things that the government needs to be focusing on, but instead they're focusing on our genitals…
On top of returning for season two of the hit series, Finney is also set to appear in the upcoming Doctor Who anniversary series. In it, she'll play a "groundbreaking" trans character named Rose.
Heartstopper season 2 is expected later this year.
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Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
