i-D Meets: Will Gao

i-D Meets, Chinese-british actor and musician Will Gao, known for his role as Tao Xu, the lovable yet outspoken teen from Netflix’s hit show Heartstopper. As we join Will and his dog Jesse in South London, he discusses everything from his dream collaborator to a childhood spent performing in his parents' living room to British classics, The Beatles and Abba.

Today his stage has significantly grown, not just to the live audiences at gigs with his band Wasia project, formed alongside his sister Olivia, but also to the millions that streamed Heartstopper to watch his character's relationship with Elle blossom throughout each episode. “It really helped people discover themselves”, he tells i-D, touching on why it is important to him that this community is celebrated on screen.

00:00 - 00:19 - Intro
00:20 - 01:20 - Family
01:21 - 01:52 - Education
01:53 - 02:32 - Representation in the industry
02:33 - 03:44 - Opera and acting
03:45 - 04:24 - Good advice
04:25 - 05:00 - Scariest moment
05:01 - 05:58 - LGBT community
05:59 - 06:20 - Modelling
06:21 - 06:54 - From Beijing to London
06:55 - 07:20 - Chinese food
07:21 - 08:22 - Wasia Project
08:23 - 08:48 - Music inspirations
08:49 - 09:13 - Yin and Yang
09:14 - 09:51 - Challenges
09:52 - 10:24 - Dream Collab
10:25 - 10:54 - Embracing social media
10:55 - 11:08 - Music and acting
11:09 - 11:42 - Jessie

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i-D celebrates fashion, culture, individuality and youth. Our channel highlights unique and diverse perspectives to allow for more inclusivity within fashion and youth culture. i-D offers access to the most inspiring names in fashion and explores everything from high-end couture to underground style scenes.

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[i-D]

Who’s here for a Wasia Project & Mitski collab? 👀

Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to i-D for more! ❤

[elisevdberg]

like a guy named Kit Connor ones said: Will Gao is indeed the coolest person ever

[SMAnthonyW]

Hold on. His grandma knit that jumper? She's damn talented... look at the design, the fit, and THE COLLAR? Amazing...

[itsadelusion]

The way he carries himself is like he came straight from a different era. Proud of you, Will, thanks for this interview! ❤

[RinaOvcharenko]

I understand now, why Kit said he wanted to be friends with Will from the first meeting.
Will is so fascinating!

[triyashagupta]

'this is the first show that's like celebrating it and not using it as a negative spin off' YES WILL. EXACTLY.

[lexirose]

will is so talented and his personality is so charming, he really deserves the recognition he’s getting. wasia project is just amazing. ❤️❤️

[guillermoalbertopiedra]

Why is no one talking about his grandma's sweater? Iconic.

[audreyantoine]

It's so nice to learn about him, he expresses himself so well! Congrats on your acting in heartstopper :)

[Naysseveredhead]

I don't blame Kit for being utterly in love with Will

[friedmilk]

will is such an inspiration, i love how he talks so dearly of his family!💖💖💖💖

[millielewis]

what a beautiful soul! will seems like such a grounded, kind person. im so glad the youth absorbing this type of human, gives me hope 🫶🏻

[sinus.]

Using this incredible Waisa Project song for this crucial scene between Charlie and Nick in the last episode of Heartstopper Season 2 still has me in awe.

[KCNwokoye]

Deeply thoughtful and self-aware. So much talent and great upbringing oozing out of him.

[iKagamii]

im so enamored by will gao… he’s just so alluring and captivating while also possessing so much candor !

[zarahycy]

Will: you will never see me dancing
Heartstopper: doing cheesy dances in front of Elle :)

[nomadoftheuniverse]

Will is so cool and creative and brings amazing enrichment to Heartstopper cast and story. Can’t wait to see what he does in film, tv, music, fashion. I wish Young Royals had such a strong positive Asian representation in their main cast.

[CliveO]

The whole cast of Heartstopper is great, but Will is one of my favorites. Glad I watched this. Now I need to check out his band.

[daphnesdumpster]

whoever wrote him into existence, bless you
(also, if you see this Will, will you please release more songs of you singing, i can't only keep listening to Misfit Biscuit)

[javieralmendares]

Will is sooo talented. His acting in Heartstopper is very cool and fresh and warming. Freaking love it.