Corinna Brown has her tiptoes to thank for her love of acting. As a child, she suffered from a condition known as idiopathic toe walking which meant she only walked on her tip toes. “The doctor advised my mum to put me in ballet classes to help my feet be flat,” the 25-year-old actress tells Luxury London over Zoom.

That was her first step on what looks set to be a long and fruitful performing career. After excelling at Hackney’s Anna Fiorentini Theatre and Film School, the Walthamstow native started to book roles in pantomimes and plays, was signed to an agent, and appeared in children’s TV shows and movies, before landing the role of Tara Jones in the Netflix coming-of-age rom-com Heartstopper.

Released on 3 October, the third season of Heartstopper will once again explore Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie’s (Joe Locke) romance as both they and it mature, alongside a greater focus on Tara’s relationship with Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), who was kicked out by her mother at the end of season two.

Heartstopper’s first two seasons have drawn critical acclaim for their depiction of inclusive romance, mixed with the show’s complex characters and relatable humour. Brown credits the show’s success to Alice Oseman’s writing and how she has seamlessly adapted her own graphic novel into a series. “Her writing is so amazing. The graphic novels already had a great fan base. They resonated and related with it because it’s such a good story. Plus, it was hard not to see yourself in the characters; having that blueprint got us off to a great start.”

Brown calls it a miracle that the casting team were able to find the perfect actors for each part, creating an ensemble that gels on and off screen. “We all just get on so well; we all just really connected with Alice’s story. We all have Alice’s morals. It resonates with us so strongly and everyone puts in 110 per cent.”

Giving her all, whatever she’s doing, just comes naturally to Brown. She was around nine years old when she first began to consider performing as a career. Her mother would take her to the Hackney Empire where Brown would relate to “any and every black performer.” Seeing them thriving on stage made her hopeful about her own dreams and aspirations.

Her mother was worried about the impact these creative pursuits might have on Brown’s studies, though. “She told me I could only do it if I continued to get good grades. That was our trade. When I occasionally got a bad grade she’d always threaten me and say that I wasn’t allowed to do the show, even if I’d done all the rehearsals.”

At that point, Brown still wasn’t sure where her creative pursuits and skills might take her. She loved street dancing, did gymnastics, and trained as a cheerleader, all while constantly “singing around the house,” reading everything she could get her hands on, and acting, too. “I remember at one point I wanted to be the new Alicia Keys. I would write songs in my room. I told my mum I wanted to be a backup dancer for Stormzy. I was always flipping between music, dance, and acting.”

Ultimately, Brown decided she wanted to go to East 15 Acting School, from which she graduated in 2020 after specialising in acting and stage combat. But it was a conversation with actress Sharon D. Clarke that really helped shape Brown’s ambition and career.

“I did my first pantomime with her at Hackney Empire,” Brown says of the three-time Olivier Award winner, who has also starred in Holby City, Doctor Who, has been the lead in numerous West End musicals and dramas, and even sang on hit songs Just a Groove and (I Wanna Give You) Devotion. “That woman just does everything. She does theatre, TV, film, and music. Early on I remember thinking that I wanted to be like her. People always ask me, ‘Do you want to do more TV? Film? Theatre?’ I’m always like, ‘Everything! I want to do everything!”

Brown feels lucky to have had the opportunity to perform from such a young age. “I feel like being exposed to so many different disciplines has given me the confidence to jump into different roles,” she explains, before reflecting that, sometimes, she can be a little too confident. When shooting season one of Heartstopper, Brown was asked if she could play the clarinet. Brown said she couldn’t, but she was a quick learner. “I then started to mimic playing what I thought was a clarinet. They had to point out I was actually pretending to play a saxophone.”

Her knowledge of woodwind instruments aside, the longer Heartstopper has gone on, the more powerful Brown’s performance as Tara has become. Season three is set to be the most challenging yet for the character: “This season has a more serious tone. We don’t shy away from things that kids go through at the age of 16, in terms of picking college and having your A-levels in front of you. But it’s about growth, trusting your instincts, and embracing the change that happens.

“She learns about anxiety and how overwhelming that is, especially because it’s so internalised for her,” says Brown of her character’s intense pressure to be perfect and flawless. While reading Oseman’s scripts for the third season, Brown couldn’t help but be excited at the chance to sink her teeth into such weighty and profound material. “It was really interesting to get to be in such vulnerable and emotional positions amidst the chaos of a set.”

Ultimately, Brown hopes this season of Heartstopper teaches viewers to “feel their emotions and know there are people around that can support and love you. Don’t bottle things up. Speak to your close friends, your family and your support system.”

But, while Brown still gets great fulfilment from Heartstopper, she’s once again on her tiptoes. This time looking to the future and the roles she one day hopes to play. “I just want to do a range of different characters. Good characters. Evil characters. Like I said, I want to do everything.”

Season three of Heartstopper premieres on Netflix on 3 October 2024.

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