Hindsight is 20/20.
Heartstopper star Kit Connor opened up in a new interview with British Vogue about his very unconventional coming-out experience. After feeling extremely pressured by the media and the fans to label his sexuality, Connor shared a tweet in October 2022 revealing that he identifies as bisexual.
Though he is now able to have a better perspective on the whole situation, Connor still feels conflicted about the events that led up to his coming out. He told the publication:
“I think ‘forced’ isn’t the right word I would use, but I would say that I would have preferred to do it another way. I also don’t know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it. In many ways, it was really empowering.”
Because Connor had already been working as a child actor for many years prior to Heartstopper, he felt like Hollywood didn’t hold any bars when it came to speculating over his personal life. “I think there’s almost a feeling that because I’d been in the industry for a little while, there was almost this understanding that it’s like, ‘Oh, well, he can take it,’” the actor reflected.
After reaching global success playing the character of Nick Nelson on Heartstopper, Connor faced a world of scrutiny for not disclosing his sexual orientation right away. While this had already become a hot topic for a lot of celebrities facing accusations of “queerbaiting,” it’s important to note that Connor had just turned 18 years old when Heartstopper premiered on Netflix – meaning that he was very likely still figuring himself out in the first place.
It’s incredibly unfortunate that Connor’s coming-out experience didn’t come from a place of agency and liberation when it first happened, but it’s great to see that he now feels empowered to look back at that moment and talk about things on his own terms.
Heartstopper season two premieres August 3 on Netflix.