Actor Joe Locke of Heartstopper fame has revealed the consequences that his newfound position in the limelight has had on his family, expressing a form of guilt at how their lives have also been affected, particularly his grandmother.
The young actor from Manchester rose to stardom after playing the openly gay Charlie in the Netflix show, who falls in love with rugby player Nick. Heartstopper has been praised for its LGBT representation.
Locke recently spoke to Teen Vogue to discuss how his fame has affected those around him. “It’s a weird guilt I sometimes feel that, by association, their lives are affected by choices in my life,” he began.
The actor explained that his mother had to change her social media profiles because his fans had tried to locate her. Others had taken it a step further and actually tried to contact his grandmother via the telephone.
Locke continued, “It’s a mutual thing. I need to learn my boundaries, and people need to learn their boundaries. Most attention comes from a really good place, and I hope I always appreciate that.”
The Heartstopper star is hoping that in years to come, the next generations will start to appreciate the idea that celebrities and famous people need to have their privacy as well and are entitled to it.
“I think people need to understand that privacy is non-negotiable,” the actor said. Check out Locke in the trailer for Heartstopper season two below.
