In his personal time. Equipment Connor stated his bisexuality led Heartstopper followers to “drive” him to return out publicly earlier than he was prepared.
Heartstopper, which premiered on Netflix on April 22, 2022, is predicated on Alice Oseman’s 2020 graphic novel
of the identical identify, which tells the love story of Charles “Charlie” Spring (Joe Locke), a shy homosexual pupil at Truham Grammar Faculty who was lately outed, and Nicholas “Nick” Nelson (Equipment Connor), a preferred rugby participant a 12 months older than Charlie, who sits subsequent to him in school one morning. The present, which has been seen greater than 24 million instances since its premiere, follows Charlie and Nick’s relationship, from the beginning of their intimate friendship to Charlie’s crush on Nick and Nick’s struggles along with his personal sexuality and emotions for Charlie.
Since taking part in Charlie and Nick, there was quite a lot of curiosity in Connor and Locke’s private life. Some for the higher and a few for the more severe. Learn on for a way Equipment Conor stated his bisexuality led Heartstopper followers to stress him to return out earlier than he wished to.
Is Equipment Connor bisexual?
Connor—whose character, Nick Nelson, is bisexual in Heartstopper—got here out as bisexual in a tweet in October 2022 in response to followers who pressured him to substantiate his sexuality. “Again for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 12 months outdated to out himself. I feel a few of you missed the purpose of the present. Bye,” he wrote on the time.
In an interview with British Vogue in July 2023, Connor defined why he was “disillusioned” with how he got here out publicly. “I feel ‘compelled’ isn’t the correct phrase I might use, however I might say that I might have most popular to do it one other means. I additionally don’t know if I might have ever executed it. However on the finish of the day I don’t remorse it. In some ways it was actually empowering,” he stated.
Connor additionally confirmed to British Vogue that he knew he was bisexual earlier than taking part in Nick in Heartstopper. “It was only a very pure course of for me,” Connor stated. “I didn’t actually have an ‘oh, shit’ second. It simply turned increasingly more evident.” Connor added that his household was “tremendous accepting and inclusive and fantastic” about his bisexuality, however his buddies have been much less so.
“I used to be in a really heteronormative environment,” Connor stated. “It wasn’t massively inclusive. It wasn’t actually accepted in quite a lot of methods… It’s the expertise of perhaps you’re too straight to be homosexual and also you’re too homosexual to be straight. So it’s like, ‘The place do I sit?’ However I really feel rather more safe in myself now.”
As for why he got here out the best way he did, Connor instructed British Vogue that his sexuality “wasn’t one thing I used to be prepared to speak about,” however as he turned extra well-known from Heartstopper, there was stress from followers relating to his private life. “I wasn’t indignant. I used to be simply barely disillusioned by this response,” he stated.
Connor additionally instructed British Vogue that he’s conscious his connection to Nick will observe him for the remainder of his life. “I’m acutely aware of the actual fact I don’t need folks to go and watch every little thing I’m ever in now and go, ‘Oh, it’s Nick from Heartstopper,’” he stated. “I additionally don’t need to be labelled as something, as a heartthrob or because the queer actor or as this or that. I need to be labelled as an actor who can do various things.”
Connor instructed The Occasions in Might 2022 about why he’s determined to maintain his sexuality personal. “I really feel very strongly that I’ve no obligation to discuss my sexuality to the general public,” he stated. “I’m comfy and assured in it, however it’s a very personal matter.” Whereas he’s personal about his personal sexuality, Connor recommended Heartstopper for its illustration of bisexuality in males in Nick’s storyline. “There’s not a lot male bisexual illustration, so I feel it’s actually necessary that he’s bi and that we actually go into nice element and depth about Nick’s discovery of his sexuality and identification,” he stated. Locke instructed The Impartial about how sexuality is fluid for a lot of forged members on Heartstopper. “I feel, with a present like Heartstopper the place the forged is so younger and sexuality is changing into a extra fluid factor, you may’t create an environment the place a youngster has to return out earlier than they’re prepared or [before they] perceive their sexuality,” he stated.
In an interview with NME, Connor revealed that his “largest motivation” to star in Heartstopper was to carry extra illustration of bisexual characters. “One of many largest motivations is the shortage of illustration for bisexual characters, particularly male bisexual characters. There actually aren’t that many [on screen], although I do know Intercourse Training has a serious male bisexual character,” he stated. “However you recognize, this present could be very a lot targeted round that. Like, one of many largest storylines is Nick exploring his sexuality. I suppose one of many challenges of a present like that is it’s by no means a ‘one dimension matches all’ form of factor. We actually have tried our greatest to be as inclusive and consultant as doable… however on the similar time, everybody’s expertise in life is totally different. We very a lot tried our greatest to painting that and create a secure house for the queer neighborhood particularly.”
Heartstopper is out there to stream on Netflix.