Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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
---
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.
Subscribe to i-D for more:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ISPZsMaBi5...
Follow i-D:
YouTube bit.ly/Subscribe-to-iD
Instagram: instagram.com/i_D
Twitter twitter.com/i_D
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iDmagazineof...
Pinterest: pinterest.com/i_D
Tumblr: i-donline.tumblr.com
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/i-d-online-1
More videos from the VICE network: fb.com/vicevideos
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
---
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.
Subscribe to i-D for more:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ISPZsMaBi5...
Follow i-D:
YouTube bit.ly/Subscribe-to-iD
Instagram: instagram.com/i_D
Twitter twitter.com/i_D
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iDmagazineof...
Pinterest: pinterest.com/i_D
Tumblr: i-donline.tumblr.com
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/i-d-online-1
More videos from the VICE network: fb.com/vicevideos
