Heartstopper, which follows the story of two queer teens in love, has always had a reputation for being wholesome. However, that reputation took a considerable knock in 2022 when it transpired people had been harassing lead actor Kit Connor for allegedly “queerbaiting” fans. This sparked a debate as to whether straight actors could play queer characters—except there was one small problem there: Connor wasn’t actually straight.
Two years after the fact, and with a new season of Heartstopper now on Netflix, the show’s other lead Joe Locke has weighed in on the debate. While speaking to The Guardian about his career, the subject of Connor’s experience came up and Locke was asked his thoughts on the wider issue.
Locke said, “I wouldn’t want to not be able to play a straight character, so I don’t think it’s fair to stop someone straight—who can do all the research—from playing a gay character. As long as you’re playing a part authentically and with the best intentions—you’re not just playing a stereotype—then go for it.”
He went on to mention the sheer impracticality and discomfort that would result if only gay actors could play gay characters. “There’s no way [the creators of Heartstopper] would have been able to say, ‘Are you gay, otherwise you can’t audition for this part?’ to a 16-year-old. You shouldn’t need to know that.” He’s absolutely right, of course.
What happened to Kit Connor?
Kit Connor plays Nick, a bisexual teen, on Heartstopper. He’s in a relationship with Locke’s character Charlie and that relationship is the beating heart of the show. But fans—well, “fans”—assumed Connor was straight after seeing him holding hands with actress Maia Reficco, and began going after him for “queerbaiting.”
Problem is, real people can’t queerbait. Queerbaiting is something media productions do to gain a wider audience and thus make more money. They lead queer fans along with the promise of LGBTQA+ representation and then don’t give it to them in the end. (Take Sherlock for an excellent example of this.) But actual flesh-and-blood people don’t have a writer’s team making their decisions: they do what feels right for them when it comes to sexuality and in many cases want privacy while they work things out. And that’s what some people seemingly just didn’t understand.
Connor felt he had no other option than to out himself on social media, writing on X (then Twitter) in a now deleted post: “i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show.” Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman instantly supported him, writing on her own account, “I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes. I hope all those people are embarrassed as F***. Kit you are amazing.”
It was a disappointing mess, but luckily, the actual show remains as good as ever. At the moment, season three has a rare 100% rating on RottenTomatoes and fans—the real fans—love it.
Locke doesn’t want to only play gay characters
Locke mused in the Guardian interview, “I’m a very private person. If it wasn’t for Heartstopper, I don’t think I would talk about my sexuality in the media at all.” Connor clearly wanted that option as well, but he didn’t get it.
Locke went on, “I get a lot of auditions for more gay teenage characters, very similar parts, and, while they’re great, I’ve played two gay characters now.” The other one is the boy known only as “Teen” from the Marvel Cinematic Universe show Agatha All Along, which is probably the queerest Marvel project to date. “Not that I would not want to play another gay character, but I want to be a versatile actor, not get stamped,” he concluded.
Published: Oct 7, 2024 02:59 pm