Celebrity

Heartstopper’s Kit Connor calls out fans trying to define his sexuality for him

A still from Netflix's Heartstopper which shows Kit Connor as Nick Nelson wearing his school uniform and light blue coat

Fans and other cast members have been enthusiastically praising Kit Connor for his Emmy win. (Netflix)

Heartstopper star Kit Connor has expertly put a halt to fans speculating about his sexuality on social media. 

Connor quickly became a household name for his role as rugby star Nick Nelson in Netflix’s beloved LGBT+ drama Heartstopper. The series follows the developing relationship between Nelson and his openly gay friend, Charlie Spring (Joe Locke).

The couple realises that they have romantic feelings for each other and try to navigate their blossoming romance alongside their personal lives. During the show, Nick comes to terms with his sexuality and even comes out as bisexual to his mum (Olivia Colman), which has inspired others to come out to their families. 

Now, Connor has called out those who have been commenting on his sexuality and assuming that he might identify more with his character on the Netflix show. In true fashion, he addressed the online rumours in a lighthearted but firm way on Twitter.

“Twitter is so funny man,” Connor wrote, “apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…”

Heartstopper fans came out in droves to support Kit Connor and reminded others why it’s important to never assume another person’s sexual orientation just because they’re in the public eye. 

 

Kit Connor’s tweet comes as Locke revealed on Twitter that he is also receiving hate online. Locke, whose breakout role was in Heartstopper, shared a screenshot of a Twitter search which revealed that users had been searching phrases like, “Joe Locke is ugly” and “Joe Locke is gay”. 

“Everyone should be entitled to an opinion, but just know we see most of the stuff people post online,” Locke wrote. 

Connor responded that the searches gave him “primary school playground flashbacks”. 

Fans are eagerly waiting for Netflix to confirm if future seasons of Heartstopper are on the way, and those involved with the show have hinted about what they’d want to see the show cover.

Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman said that, should the show continue, it would explore themes of mental health as that’s “something that’s really important in the books” as Charlie and Nick grow. 

“The challenge of writing Heartstopper is exploring those darker issues while keeping the tone so optimistic and hopeful,” Oseman said. “That has been, like, the struggle of writing it for me the whole way through.”

In a separate interview, Locke shared that he would like to explore Charlie’s mental health journey as he “deals with an eating disorder” and had started to “go on that journey” in season one. 

Kit Connor shared that he would want to explore Nick’s relationship with his loved ones and family members, especially as the character has a homophobic sibling. 

“For Nick, I think there’s a lot more exploration to be done in terms of his family,” Connor said. “It’s known to fans of the comics that he has an older brother who’s homophobic.”

He continued: “I think that would be a really interesting route to go down, but I think there’s loads of material to go and explore.”

Heartstopper is currently streaming on Netflix. 

 

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