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Meand a house near Maidenhead in Berkshire, a group of sweaty teenagers are organizing a party. Bottles of vodka line the stairs, snogs are shared on the lumpy sofa and gossip is exchanged. The windows are covered with colorful cloths to keep out the view. Suddenly, as the vibrations start to sound, the music starts and a voice shouts: “You have the time of your life, remember!”
Words belong to the director Wash Westmoreland; The real estate – located just off the bustling A308 – is on the grounds of Bray Studios in Berkshire. For the partygoers, well… they are some of the most famous young faces in the world.
It’s the sixth week of a seven-week shoot on Heartstopper Forever, the final title of Netflix’s quietly transformative, coming-of-age drama. Based on Alice Oseman’s best-selling novels, the series focuses on Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), whose love is played out in pastel colors against a culture of homosexuality, eating disorders and anxiety.
Released in 2022, the show was an instant success (the first season averaged 24m viewing hours per week during its run), turning its two leads into Hollywood superstars and doing similar things with a supporting cast. Yasmin Finneywhose role as transgender actress Elle Argent led to her being cast in Doctor Who.
Almost two years since the third season, the story of Heartstopper ends with an extended film, focusing on Charlie and Nick at the age of 17 and 18 as they go to university, years apart and growing up. For typical Nick, the idea of leaving a fragile Charlie sometimes leads to alcoholism, while Charlie is jealous. Fruits feel good, last a long time. Hence the slightly awkward feeling of disrupting a melting pot house party. When everyone is in position to take seven (or eight?), someone’s phone goes off. There is a momentary silence before Westmoreland delivers the lecture: “That must be my opinion!”
Upstairs, next to a room full of empty bottles, some of the performers are brought in for a brief discussion. There are no rails and jackets in the room. If it was a real house party, this is where you can come and have a little sleep. Connor and Locke settle in, before being called back to try another scenario. When he comes back, he looks a little unsteady for a few repetitions – after that, we’ll pass Connor, falling on the stairs when he’s called to try again.
“Sometimes I worry,” Connor says of Heartstopper’s ending. “Will (Gao, who plays Tao, Elle’s boyfriend) and I did our last scene the other day, and I was like: ‘Oh, this is so depressing.’ These characters have meant a lot to us over the years and we will always be with them.”
Locke continues: “It’s not more than a friendship; it’s a family,” citing WhatsApp groups between the cast and the fact that the young actors are together filming seasons two and three. “I know these people will always be in my life.”
When we meet again – 11 months later at Netflix’s London office, the film is getting ready to go – Connor and Locke still don’t know it’s over. “Heartstopper changed my life in every way,” says Locke, who had never acted before, but became part of the Marvel universe in 2024 via TV. Agatha Always. I couldn’t have lived in London at the age of 22 without exercising. My life would have been very different.
Although Locke still looks like Charlie, only a stylist, Connor, also 22, is unrecognizable. There are producer stubs, for starters, where Nick’s top is cleverly stolen. A battered denim jacket and chunky silver earrings give her the air of a boxy new rock star.
“Obviously, I grew up in these new circumstances, and these (experiences) change the way you see the world,” he says. “They’ve given me some ideas that are different from me, which is beautiful.”
Actors have aged with actors. Although the film is not about euphoria of immorality, there is a lot of sex. Connor laughs: “If I had my way, Nick and Charlie would be cheating on each other. “Because young people do that and they don’t need to be ridiculed for it.
In the beginning, the two are having sex in a hole, where there are also scenes of masturbation. “It’s a line you have to walk: ‘How far are we going to go?'” says Connor. “But at the end of the day, it felt like these two guys were more attracted to each other than they could have been.”
Locke added: “It would be weird if we didn’t show it. Just because our show is about the bravery of women doesn’t mean sex (it shouldn’t be shown). It’s still a big thing for everyone in the world.” That the characters are in love is an added bonus, Locke says, but it’s not about having a family together. “I don’t think Heartstopper is trying to say anything negative about promiscuous sex,” he says aloud. “It’s nice to see two guys falling in love.” Taking these pictures is something he is not used to, however. “It’s a lot of middle-aged men in a quiet room,” laughs Connor. Locke added: “Camera close to your face wearing a cock sock.”
The two are the new producers of the film, roles that have given them “a lot to say and to be involved in the entire scripting process”, says Connor. “Obviously, Alice (Oseman) knows Heartstopper better than anyone and we wouldn’t want to put our hands too far.” Heartstopper, he adds, “isn’t just for Alice, it’s for everyone.”
I ask about the reports that indicate the reason why Heartstopper is ending with a movie, as opposed to a season, is because of the drop in viewership figures for the third season (down about 30% compared to the second season). It’s a topic that Oseman touched on during a tour last year, citing a number of “difficult” factors that led to the decision.
Locke, who seems more uncomfortable during the interview than his best friend, relishes the idea of less attention. “I don’t know how true this number is, but the people of Heartstopper have been believing this whole time. I would say that it is probably becoming more difficult to reach the target audience in places where LGBTQ + people are increasing, Locke adds: “This makes it more important. The good news is that Netflix is everywhere.
By looking at representation – be it gay, lesbian or bisexual – and the joy of trans lives, Heartstopper has always felt political. In the world of the show, and now the film, it’s giving an interesting treatment to the culture wars that are going on outside of its bubble.
However, in some cases, this has happened. For example, in the third season, Elle’s appearance on the radio to discuss her art is transformed into questions about her identity, while in the film she makes a very emotional statement about change.
“Heartstopper is an escape for apathetic people,” Finney tells me on set. “It doesn’t say: ‘Look at what’s happening in the world, feel sorry for us.’ It’s more: ‘This is what queerness can be and it’s beautiful and it changes in different ways.’ But I think it’s just as important to have reality as it is to escape. Because we are still living with an epidemic where trans people are constantly being mocked. Every day I try to stay focused and positive. “
While the film looks to the future, giving a taste of what life might be like for any grown-up after school, there’s also an interest in looking back. Nick and Charlie are shown taking old photos of themselves as “babies” (AKA 14- and 15-year-olds) and reminiscing about their youth. So what advice can Connor and Locke give their younger selves at the start of their Heartstopper adventures, before the sudden history and the pressure to carry a cultural juggernaut?
“Just enjoy it,” Locke says immediately. “It’s a weird and weird and scary thing, and I know I’m in over my head.”
Connor seems like a protective older brother. Maybe I can say something similar. It should not cause panic. Heartstopper is one of the best things you can do. So accept its beauty.
Being with each other helped. “I can’t imagine how you’d go through it alone,” Locke said. “It happened to all of us at the same time, so it’s good to have that support. Mainly because it’s something special.”
Connor’s and Locke’s final Heartstopper scenes together took place at Burnham Park in Buckinghamshire, the location where they appeared throughout the series. “It was just the two of us, which is a great way to end it, like a show of love,” Locke says, smiling.
Both of them wonder if they deny that the whole business is over. Connor says: “The trip is a way of telling your brain: ‘Yeah, it’s not over yet.’ “But after this, I think it will affect us, because there is a feeling of: oh, wow, it’s in the past.” He paused, still taking it. “That’s it, school is over.
