* Spoilers ahead for the third season of Heartbreak High
You never quite know when you start something – whether it’s a book, movie, podcast, or, like me, a television show – if it’s a piece of media that’s going to change your life. Something innate in you or in the universe puts all the pieces in motion, making sure that this thing comes to you at the exact right time for maximum impact. Or, at least that is how I feel looking back at my decision to start Netflix’s reboot of Heartbreak High in September of 2022.
It isn’t that surprising that this show found its way to me. After all, I am a Gen Z Australian queer woman with a soft spot for teen dramas filled to the brim with shenanigans and impeccable costumes from many local fave brands like Niahm Gallea, Em on Holiday, & Suku. But when I pressed the play button on that very first episode, I could never have been prepared for what would come next. In walked a very special eshay, Douglas ‘Ca$h’ Piggott (played by Will McDonald), who would go on to define much of my life for the next few years.
As I continued to watch, the portrayal of asexuality within the narrative, particularly through Ca$h’s character, resonated deeply with me, highlighting the significance of asexual representation in shows like Heartbreak High.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Will McDonald ahead of the third season of Heartbreak High to discuss all things asexual, eshay, and Hartley High.
When Ca$h first graced our screens, he was depicted as the stereotypical eshay with TNs, a truly horrific haircut, and was mocked by his fellow students. However, the audience was quickly endeared to Ca$h through his blossoming relationship with Darren (James Majoos), a queer, Black, nonbinary student at Hartley High. Through the progression of this relationship, both the audience and Darren learn that Ca$h is asexual. This is an immensely smart character choice as it immediately sets Ca$h up as the ultimate dichotomy; growing up in the eshay world which is known for being deeply rooted in misogyny, homophobia, and racism, but being a man who is not interested in sex, whilst in love with someone who is a direct juxtaposition to everything the eshay world stands for. Ca$h feeling torn between these two worlds is visually depicted when he gets released from jail in the second season and has two groups waiting for him; a car with his nan (series standout, Maggie Dence) and Darren, and then Chook, the leader of the eshays.
Reflecting on how Ca$h’s character is a “walking juxtaposition”, Will told me: “There was this external part of himself that he was showing the world, and there was this other side to him that he never showed anybody because of the world that he was in, which was so hyper-masculine and misogynistic and homophobic”.
Before playing the role of Ca$h, Will was not too familiar with asexuality, with the only onscreen asexual character he had watched being Todd Chaves from BoJack Horseman. Will’s unfamiliarity with asexuality isn’t too surprising, given there have been an estimated 23 canonically asexual television characters in history, with most of the high profile ones in recent years coming from Netflix – such as Isaac from Heartstopper, Viktor from Arcane, Florence and O of Sex Education.
But Will’s depiction of asexuality through the role of Ca$h is such a watershed moment for asexual representation in media, which is an immense pressure and responsibility to put on an actor. There is a lot more at stake when you are one of the few representing the whole community because, like it or not, consuming media is how many people learn, and one misstep can be responsible for rampant misunderstandings and mischaracterisation of groups of marginalised people. It is deeply unfortunate that each depiction of asexuality has to be oh so thoughtful and considerate, almost to the point of coming across as a PSA. But given how little most people truly know about asexuality, being specific is very important.
“ I felt a huge responsibility,” Will tells Missing Perspectives. “I knew that Ca$h was sort of the first of his kind as a character. First impressions are everything, and I knew that this was a community that rightfully, and deservedly so, had been crying out for proper representation.”
Highlighting the multiple layers that make Ca$h resonate with different communities, Will explains he’s a character “that is yes, asexual, but then there’s so many other facets of their personality, and is deep and complex”. It was important for the show to be “specific in what his asexuality is, because it means so much to so many different people and like all other kinds of sexuality”, he explains, adding,”it’s a spectrum”.
It’s immensely clear how much love and thought was put into Ca$h’s storyline throughout the seasons, with Will crediting the writers Hannah Carroll Chapman, Meyne Wyatt, and Thomas Wilson-White for thoughtfully bringing this storyline to life. Thomas in particular – from what it seems from our online chatter and meeting at the Heartbreak High premiere last week – has poured so much love and warmth into Ca$h, a character who is going to go on to make so many people feel seen and represented in ways that they never thought possible.
The first two seasons of Heartbreak High follow as Ca$h and the people around him come to terms with his asexual identity, and how Ca$h and Darren’s romantic relationship is going to operate given their opposing sex drives. But by season three, asexuality is not the main focus of Ca$h’s storyline and I never thought I would be so happy to not see asexuality be the main throughline in a character’s story. BUT Heartbreak High earnt this. They spent two whole seasons primarily focussing on Ca$h’s asexual identity, and now they are at the place where Ca$h can just exist as a character who is asexual, without having to tether every single plot to his identity. They cooked up a delicious feast for us and now we can enjoy eating.
During our conversation, Will discusses the importance of depicting queer joy on screen in season three. “Sometimes when you are portraying a character that exists within a marginalised identity or an identity that people don’t understand, it [joy] is just as important as showing the trials and the tribulations that can come with sitting in that space,” he said.
One major asexual update that we do indeed get this season is when Ca$h and Darren explicitly state how their sexual relationship works. There’s dialogue explaining that Darren is allowed to have sex with people that neither of them know, no repeats, and that Ca$h is “in control”, and is allowed to press pause whenever he wants, as well as having access to Darren’s hookup apps. I, for the life of me, can not remember any other piece of media that is this comprehensive in depicting a common reality for many asexual/allosexual relationships. This is what true, authentic, and considered representation looks like in action.
A key part of Ca$h’s evolution from eshay to asexual icon can be seen through his sartorial evolution. In season three, the whimsy of his clothes can be seen on screen from crop tops to bedazzled hair, with Will being excited to “let him be joyful” and “ let him be a kid”.
“ I always kind of hoped or anticipated that the natural conclusion of his character is we’ll get to a point where he kind of like sheds that skin and we see this metamorphosis,” Will says of his aesthetic growth. “He’s throwing things at the wall because he’s finally got the space to find out who Douglas is.”
As Heartbreak High airs its third and last season with the final school bell ringing, I’ll be mourning as I say goodbye to Douglas ‘Ca$h’ Piggott, a truly original and authentic character who will forever be near and dear to the asexual community. But I am also immensely grateful that we got three seasons with an asexual main character, one who proves that asexuality is not a monolith, but is multifaceted. He’s a character who is going to continue to aid asexual people in their journey of self discovery, acceptance, and self love.
Thank you Heartbreak High, Netflix, Will McDonald, Hannah Carroll Chapman, Meyne Wyatt, Thomas Wilson-White, and everyone else involved in bringing Ca$h to life. I for one am keenly awaiting who the next asexual character Netflix will bring to our screens.