Heartstopper’s Joe Locke talks gay roles with straight actors

Joe Locke, known for his role as Charlie Spring in the Netflix series Heartstopper, believes it's not “fair” to restrict straight actors from portraying LGBTQ+ characters.

As ‘Metro Weekly’ writes, Locke, a 21-year-old actor, supports casting decisions that focus on the actors’ ability to authentically portray a character’s experience rather than their own sexual orientation. He shared with The Guardian his view that actors should be evaluated on how they approach their roles.

“I wouldn’t want to be limited to only playing straight characters, so I don’t think it’s fair to stop a straight person — who can thoroughly research — from playing a gay character,” he explained. “As long as you portray a role authentically and with sincere intentions — avoiding stereotypes — then go for it.”

Recalling his own casting experience for Heartstopper, Locke stated, “There’s no way they could have said, ‘Are you gay, otherwise you can’t audition for this part?’ to a 16-year-old. That shouldn’t be necessary information.”

Joe Locke acknowledges that he might not have been as open about his sexuality — including appearances at Pride events and discussing queer representation in media — if not for his involvement with the series.

“If it wasn’t for Heartstopper, I don’t think I would talk about my sexuality in the media at all,” he mentioned to the newspaper. Locke has expressed concerns about potentially being typecast in similar roles, which could limit his future career options.

“I frequently receive offers for gay teenage roles that are very similar, and while they’re wonderful, I’ve already played two gay characters,” he observed. Besides Charlie, he plays Teen in the MCU series Agatha All Along. “It’s not that I am unwilling to play another gay character, but my aim is to be a versatile actor and not get pigeonholed.”

The Heartstopper cast previously experienced a debate regarding straight actors in LGBTQ+ roles when viewers accused Kit Connor, who portrayed Nick, Charlie’s boyfriend, of “queerbaiting” due to his off-screen relationship with a female while playing a bisexual character.

The controversy escalated to a point where Connor felt compelled to come out as bisexual publicly.

“I’m bi. Congrats on forcing an 18-year-old to out himself,” he posted on social media, expressing that some people missed the show’s message. “The whole point of the show is that [queerness] is not always so stereotyped,” Connor told The Guardian later. “There are lines in the show where someone remarks: ‘Nick Nelson, he’s the straightest guy in the school. As the captain of the rugby team, there’s no way [he’s queer].’ Sometimes giving people space is necessary.”

Locke was surprised that Heartstopper’s storyline—a romantic relationship between two teenage boys—has not attracted more backlash from conservative groups, especially in the United States.

“The world can be frightening at times, and it feels somewhat strange that Heartstopper has largely avoided this,” he remarked. “Many queer shows receive significant backlash from right-wing groups, but Heartstopper hasn’t, and I’m puzzled by that. You often hear Trump supporters criticizing queer people and shows. I want to be hate-tweeted by Donald Trump!”