Joe Locke and Kit Connor in Heartstopper Forever (Netflix)
Heartstopper Forever is set to close a chapter for Nick and Charlie, as they navigate the reality of growing up and moving apart.
With Nick heading off to university, and Charlie having to deal with the thought of long distance, the characters are at an age where intimacy would probably be happening.
Netflix’s upcoming finale, Heartstopper Forever, sees them grow up, so naturally is set to include more sex.
Speaking to The Guardian, Joe Locke, who plays Charlie, said: “It would be weird if we hadn’t shown it. Just because our show is a more earnest version of queer representation doesn’t mean that sex [shouldn’t be shown]. It’s still a big thing for anyone in the world.”
He added: “I don’t think Heartstopper is ever trying to say anything bad about casual sex. It’s just nice to see two boys in love.”
Kit Connor, who plays Nick, added: “It’s a line that you have to walk: ‘How far are we going to take this?’ But at the end of the day, it did feel like these two guys are really attracted to each other at the age where they probably would have been doing it.”
Connor also revealed: “If I’d had my way, I would have had Nick and Charlie cheating on each other and doing all those stupid things. Because young people do that and don’t necessarily need to be villainised for it. Heartstopper Forever takes a step in that direction of not being so rose-tinted about being human.”
Joe Locke and Kit Connor’s careers since Heartstopper
As in the show, Locke and Connor have grown up since the first season of Heartstopper dropped on Netflix in 2022.
Locke, now 22, has enjoyed some huge career highs since he landed the role of Charlie. He appeared in Disney+ series Agatha All Along, part of the enormous Marvel Cinematic Universe, as a mysterious character who was eventually revealed to be William Kaplan, or Billy Maximoff, or Wiccan, the son of Wanda Maximoff and Vision.
He has also had a number of stage credits, including Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Broadway, and as Jake in Clarkston in the West End.
Locke has since been announced as part of the cast of upcoming film Elsinore, alongside Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman.
Meanwhile, Connor, also 22, had already had a number of acting credits, including as a younger version of Elton John in Rocketman.
Since Heartstopper, he has gone on to land roles in A24 film Warfare, Netflix’s animated Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, and the upcoming adaptation of Elden Ring, set for release in 2028.
He also played Romeo in Romeo + Juliet alongside Rachel Zegler on Broadway.
Heartstopper Forever is out worldwide on 17 July.
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