Bring out your giant pink dildos and call someone a dog c*nt because the long-awaited second season of Heartbreak High is out today!!!! After two years of waiting, the beloved students of Heartly High are back on our screens. This time around, the characters are a tiny bit older but hardly any wiser — but that’s the whole point. The way the characters go through life with a distinct teenage uncertainty is what makes this show truly resonate with young people around Australia and the world. And yet, it’s something that the cast of Heartbreak High is still trying to wrap their head around today.
As I chatted to the cast of Heartbreak High a day before launch, it’s clear that they’re still pinching themselves that they get to be part of a project that isn’t just another show on Netflix, but a cultural moment.
For James Majoos, who plays Darren, the high school experience on the show is so drastically different to his that it’s still hard to conceptualise sometimes.
“It always surprises me weirdly, when people say they relate to this high school experience’,” they told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“I was homeschooled for years 11 and 12, so hearing about people actually identifying with the show, it’s like ‘wow, you actually had a fun high school experience.”
For Will McDonald, who plays Ca$h — an eshay who identifies as asexual — it’s a fkn honour to have so many people connecting with their characters on the show.
“I think it’s just nice that kids can see themselves because we didn’t have a show like this when we were their age, and we were growing up so I’m just really glad that people can identify with it,” he said.
“That’s the dream as an actor, it’s that people can identify with it.”
“Connection,” Chloé Hayden — who plays the lovable Quinni — chimes in, to an echo of agreement from the group.
The wild thing is, on paper, it’s not particularly groundbreaking. If you go to any Aussie high school you’ll find the whole spectrum of human sexuality and people from all different cultural backgrounds. The power here is in the representation, with young people finally able to see themselves in something other than just a mirror.
It’s not only the relatability and representation that makes this show a cultural moment for Gen Z. And in Season Two, the cast say they’ve leaned into the Australian-isms and meme culture that made this show a worldwide sensation.
“This season was really fun because we have all of that beautiful stuff but it’s still really heightened, and there are references to some classy teen YA stuff, but obviously in our own vocab which is really cool,” James adds.
Heartbreak High Season Two is out April 11 on Netflix, so grab yourself some chippies and tell ya boss to rack off so you can binge it. That’s what I’d do, anyway.
