“Heartbreak High” star James Majoos on Darren and Cash romance in season 2: 'It feels very truthful'

Season 2 finds the viral lovebirds learning what it's like to be in a relationship.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Heartbreak High season 2.

Heartbreak High is putting its fan-favorite couple to the test.

Fans of the Australian comedy melted watching Douglas “Cash” Piggott (Will McDonald) declare his love for Darren Rivers (James Majoos) in season 1 while Cash was getting arrested. The new season cut his incarceration short, but the couple quickly faced the complex reality of being together and — spoiler alert! — they almost didn’t end the season intact. Heading into a potential third season, they haven’t figured everything out, but it’s clear that they want to make it work.

Below, EW talks to Majoos about how Cash and Darren’s relationship was challenged this season and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What has the reaction been to Darren and their relationship with Cash since the first season aired?

JAMES MAJOOS: It’s a beautiful moment. I’ve seen a lot of TikTok edits. People don’t recite the lines to me much, but a song that plays in that scene, which is "Strawberry Kisses" by Nikki Webster. I’ve had people recite the lyrics to me a few times. People respond to that scene [because] having young queer people declare their love for each other in a high school classroom has a fantastical element to it. In reality, some younger queer people don’t get to experience the same romance love as perhaps their heterosexual peers.

This season, we see them both deal with the reality of being in a relationship and they really struggle to work their issues. What do you think about how they worked through things?

Their realities are different in terms of their sexual needs. What’s special about this season is you get to see Cash’s asexuality and how they navigate their intimacy as a partnership, which is very special and really rare to see on screen, especially for young people. We tried to be really delicate around it, but also honest. Darren makes mistakes just like any young person and it feels very truthful. I’m interested to see how people respond to the relationship.

There’s a point where Darren tries to change themselves in order to make it work. What do you think they learned about how to go about working on a relationship?

For Darren, the main thing is they are constantly a work in progress and it’s the same for all the characters on the show. Towards the end of the season, there’s a tenderness between them, but it’s still ongoing. Their story does end in trust for Darren and Cash. It’s just love at the end of the day and what that means for them, which is the purest kind of love.

There’s a wonderful moment where Darren talks to Malakai (Thomas Weatherall) about coming to terms with his bisexuality. Can you talk about what you remember from filming that scene?

Going into it, I was a little hesitant about depicting a queer Black character as the voice of reason for somebody else. With Malakai, also being a person of color, Darren is about to tell him how it is. It was a nice thing for Tom because we don’t have many scenes together. I really liked the truthfulness put into that scene because young people today are a lot more liberated and free when they can be. That is an important message, not just for Malakai, but to any viewer to hear as well.

Darren and Quinni (Chloé Hayden) have this great arc where they clash but end in a place where they are committed to sticking together as they grow and change. What do you think that storyline says about how friendships can handle change?

With the show in general, everything is dialed up for a 10 in high school and everything feels like the stakes are higher. In the end, Quinni and Darren are each other’s soulmates regardless of the complexities of whatever argument or fight that they have. Their foundation is love and before it was Darren and Cash, it was Quinni and Darren. They’ve always been there for each other and there wouldn’t be a Quinni without Darren or Darren without Quinni. They complete each other but are completely different people, so they explore that this season.

Darren moves in with Harper (Asher Yasbincek) and Cash and spends time with Cash’s family instead of their own. Can you talk about how Darren has built their chosen family these two seasons?

That’s a great question. Darren’s familial circle is absent this season, so Darren has absolutely been finding that family in Cash and Nan [Cash’s grandmother, played by Maggie Dence] and extending that with Harper as well this season. It’s been really special to see Darren find their feet and their people. Queer people know how important a second family is, which has been lovely to explore further this season.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Heartbreak High season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

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