Heartstopper’s Joe Locke Wants To Play The First Gay Disney Prince: “That Would Be a Dream”
May 8, 2022Joe Locke said that he hopes “people will see themselves” in his new Netflix LGBTQ+ teen series Heartstopper, which premiered last month.
The British actor, 18, said that he wants to take on more projects that “mean something” during an interview with The Independent after recently making his onscreen debut in Netflix's hit LGBTQ+ teen series Heartstopper.
“I would love to play the first gay Disney prince,” Locke said. “That would be a dream.”
According to People, he was selected from 10,000 young actors to play Charlie Spring in Heartstopper, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Osman. The British coming-of-age series follows the recently outed Charlie as he falls in love with Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), a popular rugby player he sits next to in class.
The show also features a talented young ensemble as Charlie's friends and has received acclaim for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Since premiering last month on Netflix, Heartstopper has held a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Locke said that he hopes “people will see themselves” in the Netflix show. “I want it to say to young queer people: 'You deserve to have this story. This happiness is not out of your reach. You do not deserve the things in a classic heterosexual love story because you happen to be queer,’” he said.
The young star also raved about working with Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, who plays Nick's mother Sarah.
“They kept her a secret for ages,” Locke recounted. “Then we were on set one day and Kit whispered it to me and I started screaming.”
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