Heartstopper's Joe Locke: 'It's a big thing coming out. Take your time. Don't Rush.'

Joe beat ten thousand hopefuls to win his first ever on screen role in the hit Netflix show, which follows his character Charlie as he falls for the school jock, Nick, played by Kit Connor.

If you haven’t seen the show yet - it’s based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman yet, and you can head Netflix to see it - it will make you feel all the feels and is a joyful celebration of queer love.

In this episode Joe opens up about feeling like an outsider, and how we need to call BS on that being a negative thing. He talks about tearing up the rule book about what a leading man should be, and look like, and he shares some super cute words on the incredible friendships he built on set.

Like so many of you, this show means so much to me so I hope you love listening to this episode with Joe as much as I did talking to him. I hope you continue to listen and find the power to Reign in your own lives and if you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx

ABOUT REIGN WITH JOSH SMITH:

Reign with Josh Smith is a podcast and video series which sees your favourite celebrities open up like never before, talking about the obstacles they have had to overcome in their life and ultimately show they have learnt to Reign. These chats will hopefully make you feel less alone in your problems, inspire you to find your power and Reign in your own life too.

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[dougf]

When people online say that the cast isn’t conventionally attractive, I think they are noticing that the cast are actual teenagers playing teens, not 25 year olds who’ve been in the gym 10 years already

[MsDiMera]

Hearing these gorgeous kids like Joe and Kit talk about doing A levels while also doing such a huge fulltime dream job makes me feel like Ive aged prematurely without doing enough . I cant wait to see Joe and the rest of the cast in more stuff

[eveeee]

The way Joe talks at 18 years old!? It’s incredible. He keeps it so professional and interesting to listen to!

[lannik_]

On coming out...
My boyfriend never officially came out. He just took me to a family dinner and expected everyone to just "get it and get over it" ✊power move

[andrescastillo]

These 11 minutes felt like 3 minutes. I wish this was a longer interview! Joe is so eloquent and smart. A great role model for everyone <3

[kelvinthar]

Yas asking Joe if they'll be friends forever is quite honestly the cutest and most heartwarming thing ever omg I love them so much I want the whole Heartstopper gang to stay friends forever.

[yyqhansonWenx]

Wow Joe is really a level-headed person, it's quite impressive to hear his rational thoughts and choices of wording in this kind of long interview, thank you so much for this!! His perceptions of the story/show or certain subjects are quite intriguing to hear, can't wait for the full interview.

[dannyd]

Joe is an extremely talented actor. Can’t believe Heartstopper was his first acting ever. I really do hope all the success to this kid. He is going to achieve everything🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[faiza_haque]

i have never seen a babie-er and more pure 18 yr old. him and kit never fail to make me smile and make me happy and make any bad day into good. i hope they know how much of a positive effect they have on ppl's lives and how many ppl r finding themselves bcoz of them.

[MariSongBeat]

Finally Joe's interview! I felt like Sirius Black who waited 13 years in Azkaban so I waited this interview. Thank you so much ❤️

[PippiGallagher]

As a 69 year-old gay man i can assure you gay people never stop coming out in their lives. Hopefully shows such as Heartstopper will make coming out unnecessary. Cant believe how much this show has impacted me. Im overwhelmed. I so love Joe and Kit. Theyre amazing.

[sapphicism]

i am in awe of joe locke and his talent and sincerity. he's so well-spoken and he truly always says the right words. we are so lucky to have him as our charlie spring!! <3

[julsstay]

Oh gosh also I respect how Joe's making his boundaries clear and how importance he puts into it during interviews as well. Fans can become very invasive, just like how some people stalked his family.. and the fact that he made it clear that it's not acceptable is so so important. I've seen many celebs don't say anything about things that may bother them just to not make their fans angry, but it should never be this way. So I'm very glad Joe's not afraid to express his discomfort right from the start and set clear boundaries. I hope his fanbase will grow and remain respectful of those!

[cretn]

joe is so well-spoken. this interview means a lot to me :]

[justinb]

Joe does sound like such a wonderful person. So well spoken and thoughtful and the way he talks about Kit and the others being there for support and such, it's clear how much the show and the people have meant to him. The show presents a very positive optimistic view and it feels like the actors themselves embody that sort of perspective on life which is great. I'm glad he doesn't obsess over Twitter per se as there can be some negative comments amongst all the positives, although I think he is perfect just the way he is and I'm sure the people who are around him regularly can give him very encouraging feedback about who he is.

[Tempest]

Joe is a treasure.
This is his first acting debut and he took it and ran with it. Cannot wait to see what kind of career he forges for himself.

[dw]

I can't stop staring at Joe's brows…they're so majestic

[peaceful_chaos]

Joe is so incredibly smart and cute. His emotional intelligence and worldview was on full display in this interview. I loved it!

[sancosmic]

YAAAY Joe Locke finally, i love listening to him, he's so genuine and kind and he looks so happy, i really hope he will keep doing what he loves and that he will never forget how much he means to many people, he's such a safe zone by being himself and it's so important to have someone like him in your life. Anyways, i love him so so much.

[iasminaraujo]

I hope he knows that if he needs distance, real fans gonna give him that. We don't want overworked, overwhelmed artists. Everyone wants to see them happy