Heartstopper season 3 officially introduces a member of the Spring family. But why did Oliver Spring take this long before joining the hit Netflix show? Here's how Heartstopper author Alice Oseman changed their mind!
Oliver 'Springs' Into Action For a Brief Heartstopper Season 3 Cameo (And For Good Reason)
Charlie and Tori Spring were initially introduced in Heartstopper as a pair of siblings. But longtime fans of the popular graphic novel are well aware that they were one brother short: Oliver Spring.
Fans initially questioned Alice Oseman's decision to exclude him. According to a fan's report, it all "comes down to the painful process of casting younger actors."
It is worth mentioning though that the author hadn't made any official comment on this apart from the Instagram comment on officially having Olly on board.
As Heartstopper season 3 premieres, Jensen Clayden springs into action for being cast as Oliver and officially bringing the character to life. However, the show changes Jensen's role.
Instead of being Charlie and Tori's youngest brother, the actor takes the role of being their cousin. Olly made his first appearance in Heartstopper season 3 episode 5 titled Winter aka the Christmas episode.
Now, why the sudden change of parts? Oseman's explanation on Netflix Tudum that Oliver Spring's "small but festive appearance" as the younger cousin of Tori and Charlie might mean that it was intentional.
Intentional in the sense that Oliver finally makes his live-action debut from her graphic novels for old times' sake, especially since he was only a minor character in the story.
Considering that Charlie's antisocial sister pretty much does the comforting family member gig all well on her own, Olly's brief appearance is a mere delight to fans but not quite necessary to push through in the story itself.
So even though Oliver fits right into the Spring family, it doesn't change that the Spring siblings already have each other's backs to keep the story progressing.
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All episodes of Heartstopper season 3 are available to stream on Netflix.
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