Bradley Riches is known for portraying the character of James McEwan in Netflix’s hit LGBTQ+ series ‘Heartstopper’. More recently, he joined ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ as a housemate who will be living alongside a star-studded cast for the next 19 days.
Bradley Stephen Riches was born on December 11, 2001 in Surrey, England. At the age of 9, he was diagnosed with autism, and eventually became more confident in communicating with other people when he began attending a drama group.
In a November 2022 interview with Metro, Riches opened up about the importance of acting in his life, stating:
“Acting is an escapism for me. I feel free and understood when playing characters when, most of the time, I felt misunderstood as Bradley. I am so happy that I can show autistic people that they aren’t alone and that they aren’t invisible – they are beautiful and magical.”
Related: ‘Heartstopper’ S2’s Bradley Riches on Being a Visible Autistic Actor
As an actor, he has appeared in a couple of films, television shows and stage productions — his most popular ones being ‘Heartstopper’ and ‘Celebrity Big Brother’. According to Radio Times, the 22-year-old English actor was reportedly hoping to “fly the flag for autistic, queer people on a huge mainstream show like Celebrity Big Brother.”
Aside from acting, Riches also co-wrote his debut book “A” Different Kind Of Superpower together with James A Lyons. It is described as a “a semi-autobiographical children’s book,” which is based on the true events of the ‘Heartstopper’ star’s autism diagnosis.
“How would you feel if one day your parents came into your room and told you that you had a superpower? Excited? Definitely. Powerful? Maybe,” part of the book’s synopsis via Goodreads reads.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, dailymail.co.uk, radiotimes.com, goodreads.com
