Heartstopper turned the 19-year-old Manx actor into a teen dream.
He’s now ready for something darker.
Why?Patti LuPone.
‘Heartstopper’ and ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ star Joe Locke.Credit: Joseph Sinclair
“She didn’t have any filter because she’s Patti LuPone,” Locke tells EW.
Patti, stop talking!
It was like a ripple effect.
Kit Connor and Joe Locke on ‘Heartstopper’.Netflix
Everyone was like, ‘Have you seen Patti’s interview?!'"
The young actor is scared to say more, or even confirm what LuPone slipped.
One could call this a bucket-list role for Locke, and he doesn’t want to mess it up.
Kathryn Hahn in ‘WandaVision’.Marvel Studios
He’s at least achieved part of that dream.
“Putting your energy into something is never gonna harm a situation.
With Marvel, I was very determined to get the part,” he says.
Joe Locke in ‘Heartstopper’ season 2.Samuel Dore/Netflix
Season 1 ofHeartstoppermarked his first professional acting job, but it also made him a public figure instantaneously.
“Having Kit to go on this journey with has been amazing,” Locke says.
Every single thing you do is scrutinized."
Even what concerts you attend.
Locke inadvertentlymade headlinesfor showing up at a pitstop forTaylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
“I really should have thought about the overlap betweenHeartstopperfans and Taylor Swift fans,” he admits.
“I was very shocked by the amount of people who were coming to say hi.”
Locke saw Connor deal with this too.
“I’m a very private person I think,” Locke now says.
The absence of Twitter ends up helping with his Marvel gig.
Comic book aficionados are convinced Locke is playing a grown version of Billy Maximoff, a.k.a.
Depending on how deep one goes online, there may even be evidence to support this theory.
Of course, Locke can’t say one way or the other.
He does, however, talk about howWandaVisionbecame a surprise hit among LGBTQ viewers, like himself.
“I think that resonates a lot with the queer community.”
“I learned a lot about the actor that I want to be from these women.”
Locke was already discovering that about himself when he returned to theHeartstopperset to film season 2.
The material for season 2 was heavier than season 1.
Based largely on Vol.
But there’s also a darker side.
“Our show’s never gonna beEuphoria,” Locke says, laughing.
“But I think that our show’s maturing with the characters.
As they grow up, the show grows up.
Season 2 is notjustgentle, but it’s still gentle.”
That’s something Locke now hopes to show people about himself: He’s not just theHeartstopperguy.
Specifically, “I’d love to do a dark role,” he notes.
