From the get-go, Netflix’s Heartstopper has stayed true to its origins, Alice Oseman’s webtoon series, from the plot down to its characters – and that was why Joe Locke’s Charlie Spring has been well-received by fans.
Meet Joe Locke as Heartstopper’s Lead Character,
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Locke was the exact cutout of the 14-year-old high school boy who fell in love with another boy in an English boy’s grammar school.
He looked the part, although he was three years older in real life when they started filming the show. Nevertheless, seeing a teenager being played by an actual teenager was still refreshing. We all know how Hollywood always casts 30-something-year-olds for these roles, setting unhealthy expectations.
He’s Manx. Joseph William Locke, now popularly known as Joe Locke, was born on September 24, 2003. He grew up in Douglas, Isle of Man (hence, Manx), a small island in the Irish Sea between Ireland and England. It’s not part of the UK as it’s a self-governing British Crown dependency.
He’s also queer. While it was long assumed, it was only recently that he specifically stated his sexuality. In an interview with Teen Vogue for Heartstopper’s August 2023 cover, he said, on the record, “I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12.”
This was His Debut Role
He has a history in theatre, participating in different theatre productions at the Gaiety Theatre in his hometown and with the youth group at Kensington Art Centre. He also attended the 2020 Connections, the Royal National Theatre in London’s annual youth theatre festival. But he didn’t have any experience starring in TV shows. In fact, this was his first.
Speaking with Behind the Blinds last May 2022, Locke shared that Oseman, who authored the graphic novel on which the series was based, wanted to get authentic casting, so they did an open call. Everyone and anyone was invited to send in a self-tape.
So, he tried out and sent one. Then, when he got invited for a second recall, that was the moment that it felt real for him, and he didn’t disappoint.
His portrayal of Charlie was spot on – like he jumped straight out of the pages of the comic. In fact, it was so good that he earned a nomination for the inaugural Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.
He Related to Charlie
After reading the original graphic series, he saw himself in the character. Even their school experience was so much alike. He also wanted to participate in the project because there weren’t many shows on TV that portray the positives of growing up as a queer person. Besides that, he thought it was a great story to tell younger queer kids that they deserve happiness.
Though they were so much alike, he would say that there were some things that he and Charlie were different. For one, he was more extroverted than his character, but his character was definitely more confident than him.
He confessed that he didn’t have it in him to join a rugby team for someone he had a crush on. Even more so, he had the guts to ask someone if they liked him or wanted to kiss him!
He wanted to tell more stories like Charlie’s
During a joint interview with Kit Connor, who plays Charlie’s love interest, Nick Nelson, for NME, he shared that playing Charlie allowed him to do two things: First, tell a story that mattered and second, be part of a story that he wanted to see more of on screen.
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In the next parts of the story, Charlie develops an eating disorder, which in turn takes a toll on his mental health. While most shows tackle the topic as dark, Heartstopper approaches it with an optimistic lens, which Locke wants people (and kids) like him to see. It will get better, and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
His Dream Role is to be the First-ever Gay Disney Prince
We have all been enchanted by stories of princes and princesses and happily ever afters. Locke wanted to be part of that magical experience, too. Of course, he would love it even more to be in a project that would mean something to the audience. Hence, he dreams of playing Disney’s first-ever gay prince.
We hope that happens in time, but for now, we can enjoy Joe Locke as Charlie Spring in Heartstopper. Its second season is now streaming on Netflix, so make sure you catch up on that. Other than that, wait for him in the upcoming WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
