Heartstopper star Joe Locke has confirmed his sexuality for the first time, with the actor revealing he is gay.
The star, who plays Charlie on the Netflix show, had never publicly commented on reports of his sexuality, but told Teen Vogue that he has been openly gay from a young age.
“I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12,” he said. “People have assumed and written it, [but] I haven't ever corrected anyone because I haven't felt the need to – I've never specifically stated my sexuality [until now].
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“It’s a weird guilt I sometimes feel that, by association, their [his family’s] lives are affected by choices in my life,” he added. “It's a mutual thing. I need to learn my boundaries and people need to learn theirs. Most attention comes from a really good place, and I hope I always appreciate that.
The interview, which was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, also featured Locke’s co-star Kit Connor, who came out as bisexual last year after feeling “forced” to by external pressure.
“We were all very proud of him, and we're proud of him controlling the narrative,” said Locke of his co-star, who plays Nick. “I’m very proud of him for doing his own thing and what was right for him.
“There’s an idea that it's part of the job to lose your privacy, that you lose your right to having privacy. That's something I hope the next generation of people in the public eye can change – I think people are understanding that privacy is non-negotiable.”
Related: Heartstopper season 2 reminds us that coming out is complicated
The coming-of-age drama recently returned to screens with its second season, but creator Alice Oseman has already been looking ahead to the follow-up, teasing that the show would end up in a “new place” during season three.
“There’s a lot of story left for the show to go into season three,” she said. “In season two we’ve started to explore mental health in a big way… [and] we’re going to continue to look at that in a big way. I’m really excited to take the show into that new place.”
Heartstopper seasons 1-2 are streaming on Netflix.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
