Insi ‘Heartstopper,’ Netflix’s Gay Teen Rom-Com Everyone Is Swoong Over

Contents:

• IS ‘HEARTSTOPPER’ ACTOR K CONNOR GAY? HERE’S WHAT HE SAYS
• ‘HEARTSTOPPER’: INSI THE GAY TEEN ROM-COM EVERYONE IS SWOONG OVERAWW!NETFLIXA TOTALLY CHILL AND NOT-AT-ALL OVERENTHIASTIC GUI TO EVERYTHG “HEARTSTOPPER” THAT HAS FANS LOSG THEIR MDS. (SURPRISE, ’S OLIVIA COLMAN!) WARNG: SOME SPOILERS.FLETCHER PETERSENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED APR. 22, 2022 3:14PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 22, 2022 3:05PM EDT AS SUNNY DAYS AND SUMMER FLGS APPROACH, NETFLIX IS HEATG THGS UP WH A NEW ROMANCE SERI—BUT ONE THAT’S ALMOST TOO STICKY SWEET. SCRATCH THAT, ACTUALLY—HEARTSTOPPER IS SO ADORABLE. IT’S PERFECT! I LOVE ! IT N DO NO WRONG!WH A DITED FAN BASE SGG S PRAIS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA, A TWEE SOUNDTRACK RIPPED STRAIGHT OM A 2010’S TUMBLR ACUNT, AND THE SWEETT TWO YOUNGSTERS PLAYG THE LEADS, HEARTSTOPPER WILL, WELL, STOP YOUR HEART. (AND NO, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR THAT RNY PUN.)MORE REALISTILLY, WILL: MAKE YOUR HEART SKIP A BEAT, FLIP AROUND AND FLUTTER WH JOY, SHATTER TO A LN PIEC, ETC.—ALL THE SWOONY HALLMARK THGS—AS LTLE CHARLIE (JOE LOCKE) EXPERIENC THE EPIC HIGHS AND LOWS OF HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL ( ENGLAND ’S LLED “GBY,” I GUS). CHARLIE IS GAY, SO DATG AT HIS ALL-BOYS SCHOOL ISN’T EASY. HIS FIRST FLG SEEMS REALLY TO HIM, DASHG AROUND THE SCHOOL TO MAKE OUT RNERS AND EXPRSG THEIR FEELGS FOR EACH OTHER OVER INSTAGRAM DMS. BUT HE WON’T GO PUBLIC.THAT SADNS ONLY LASTS A LTLE WHILE, WHICH IS ONE OF HEARTSTOPPER’S CHARMS: EVEN THOUGH CHARLIE FAC PLENTY OF WALLFLOWER ISSU, HE’S STILL PRETTY NFINT ABOUT BEG GAY AND GETS A REAL, THRIVG ROMANCE OF HIS OWN WH ANOTHER BLOKE. ENTER NICK (K CONNOR), A SPORTS BRO WHO RECS CHARLIE FOR THE GBY TEAM. NICK DON’T JT STT ALL HANDSOME AND CHARMG TO TAKE CHARLIE’S BREATH AWAY, THERE’S A FUN TWIST WH HIS CHARACTER—BUT MORE ON THAT LATER. THEIR CHEMISTRY IS JAW-DROPPING. SERLY: IF YOU LOVE ROM-S, G-OF-AGE, OR REALLY, ANYTHG THAT FALLS UNR THE “FEEL GOOD” TEGORY OF TV, HEARTSTOPPER IS A JAM. SPEAKG OF JAMS, HERE’S ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLSE FOR THE MIC—FEATURG, FOR EXAMPLE, “DON’T DELETE THE KISS” BY WOLF ALICE, FRANKIE COSMOS, MAGGIE ROGERS, ETC.—WHICH MANAG TO F THE VIBE OF THE PROJECT AND SOUND LIKE WAS RIPPED STRAIGHT OM CHARLIE’S SPOTIFY.ALICE OSEMAN’S ORIGAL WEBIC, HEARTSTOPPER HAS A RABID BUILT- FAN BASE. THEY ARRIVED DROV AS SOON AS THE BATCH OF EIGHT EPISOS LAND ON NETFLIX. THEIR FAWNG OVER THE HEARTSTOPPER LOVERS MA THE SERI IMMEDIATELY SOAR TO THE TRENDG PAGE OF TWTER WH AN OUTPOURG OF SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATN.FANS ARE PECIALLY STCK BY THE AMOUNT OF PARALLELS THE SERI HAS TO THE WEBIC, GRATEFUL THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH RPECT FOR S SOURCE MATERIAL. REMEMBER THAT PEN EXPLOSN EPISO 1? THAT’S STRAIGHT OM THE IC. ADVERTISEMENT WE’RE NOT EVEN AT THE BT PART OF THE SHOW YET, THOUGH. THAT EPISO 1, RIGHT AROUND THE END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SHOW: AMY AWARD-WNER OLIVIA COLMAN MAK A SURPRISE APPEARANCE AS NICK’S SUPPORTIVE MOTHER. WHEN I FIRST SAW HER FACE—TALK ABOUT HEART-STOPPG! (AGA, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE!)OSEMAN HAD THE SAME REACTN AFTER COLMAN JOED THE ST. “I LERALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS THE STUPIST IA EVER,” OSEMAN RELLED WHEN COLMAN’S NAME WAS FIRST MENTNED. “I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS OR ANYONE FAMO WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS. I WAS PROVEN WRONG!” NETFLIX THE HEARTSTOPPER FANS HAVE IMMEDIATELY WELED COLMAN TO THEIR UNIVERSE, CELEBRATG HER TOUCHG SCENE LATER THE SEASON—SPOILER ALERT!—WHEN SHE LOVGLY ACCEPTS HER SON AFTER HE OUT TO HER.“THANK YOU #HEARTSTOPPER FOR GIVG NICK NELSON,” ONE ER SHARED, “TO SEE HIM FIGURE HIMSELF OUT, UNRSTAND HE IS BI AND TELL HIS MUM ON HIS OWN TERMS HIS OWN TIME AND FOR HER TO JT HUG HIM.” ADVERTISEMENT OH, AND JOE LOCKE, WHO PLAYS NICK, N NOW LL COLMAN HIS “UNOFFICIAL MOTHER--LAW” HIS INSTAGRAM B. JT ONE MORE ADDN TO THE SEA OF MANY REASONS TO LOVE HEARTSTOPPER! FLETCHER PETERS
• WHY HEARTSTOPPER MAK ME WISH I'D HAD MY OWN GAY TEEN ROMANCE
• THE 33 REACTNS TO NETFLIX’S HEARTSTOPPER WILL SEND YOU SPIRALLG TO A GAY PANIC

IS ‘HEARTSTOPPER’ ACTOR K CONNOR GAY? HERE’S WHAT HE SAYS

Charlie is the school’s rint gay nerd. After Charlie jos the gby team to get closer to Nick, his teammat spare no time before they start layg on the homophobic sults.

As Harry hurls one of the most famo anti-gay slurs towards Charlie behd his back, Nick sends fists flyg. The st of Netflix's Heartstopper ma a lot of wav durg this weekend's London Pri several different shared vios on social media, the st of Heartstopper season one was ptured standg up to homophobic and transphobic bigots who were prottg at a Pri Para the U. Joe Locke plays the ma protagonist, Charlie Sprg, the only openly gay teenager at an all-boys school.

Charlie daydreams for a moment, imagg Nick nfsg his love for Charlie and sayg he's gay too. After givg Charlie a long hug for the first time, Nick go home and cis to do some ter vtigatg about what his feelgs might nervoly typ "Am I gay? As Nick is undated wh "gay quizz" and news stori about discrimatn and homophobia, he gets creasgly distrsed and lets out a sgle tear.

‘HEARTSTOPPER’: INSI THE GAY TEEN ROM-COM EVERYONE IS SWOONG OVERAWW!NETFLIXA TOTALLY CHILL AND NOT-AT-ALL OVERENTHIASTIC GUI TO EVERYTHG “HEARTSTOPPER” THAT HAS FANS LOSG THEIR MDS. (SURPRISE, ’S OLIVIA COLMAN!) WARNG: SOME SPOILERS.FLETCHER PETERSENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED APR. 22, 2022 3:14PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 22, 2022 3:05PM EDT AS SUNNY DAYS AND SUMMER FLGS APPROACH, NETFLIX IS HEATG THGS UP WH A NEW ROMANCE SERI—BUT ONE THAT’S ALMOST TOO STICKY SWEET. SCRATCH THAT, ACTUALLY—HEARTSTOPPER IS SO ADORABLE. IT’S PERFECT! I LOVE ! IT N DO NO WRONG!WH A DITED FAN BASE SGG S PRAIS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA, A TWEE SOUNDTRACK RIPPED STRAIGHT OM A 2010’S TUMBLR ACUNT, AND THE SWEETT TWO YOUNGSTERS PLAYG THE LEADS, HEARTSTOPPER WILL, WELL, STOP YOUR HEART. (AND NO, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR THAT RNY PUN.)MORE REALISTILLY, WILL: MAKE YOUR HEART SKIP A BEAT, FLIP AROUND AND FLUTTER WH JOY, SHATTER TO A LN PIEC, ETC.—ALL THE SWOONY HALLMARK THGS—AS LTLE CHARLIE (JOE LOCKE) EXPERIENC THE EPIC HIGHS AND LOWS OF HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL ( ENGLAND ’S LLED “GBY,” I GUS). CHARLIE IS GAY, SO DATG AT HIS ALL-BOYS SCHOOL ISN’T EASY. HIS FIRST FLG SEEMS REALLY TO HIM, DASHG AROUND THE SCHOOL TO MAKE OUT RNERS AND EXPRSG THEIR FEELGS FOR EACH OTHER OVER INSTAGRAM DMS. BUT HE WON’T GO PUBLIC.THAT SADNS ONLY LASTS A LTLE WHILE, WHICH IS ONE OF HEARTSTOPPER’S CHARMS: EVEN THOUGH CHARLIE FAC PLENTY OF WALLFLOWER ISSU, HE’S STILL PRETTY NFINT ABOUT BEG GAY AND GETS A REAL, THRIVG ROMANCE OF HIS OWN WH ANOTHER BLOKE. ENTER NICK (K CONNOR), A SPORTS BRO WHO RECS CHARLIE FOR THE GBY TEAM. NICK DON’T JT STT ALL HANDSOME AND CHARMG TO TAKE CHARLIE’S BREATH AWAY, THERE’S A FUN TWIST WH HIS CHARACTER—BUT MORE ON THAT LATER. THEIR CHEMISTRY IS JAW-DROPPING. SERLY: IF YOU LOVE ROM-S, G-OF-AGE, OR REALLY, ANYTHG THAT FALLS UNR THE “FEEL GOOD” TEGORY OF TV, HEARTSTOPPER IS A JAM. SPEAKG OF JAMS, HERE’S ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLSE FOR THE MIC—FEATURG, FOR EXAMPLE, “DON’T DELETE THE KISS” BY WOLF ALICE, FRANKIE COSMOS, MAGGIE ROGERS, ETC.—WHICH MANAG TO F THE VIBE OF THE PROJECT AND SOUND LIKE WAS RIPPED STRAIGHT OM CHARLIE’S SPOTIFY.ALICE OSEMAN’S ORIGAL WEBIC, HEARTSTOPPER HAS A RABID BUILT- FAN BASE. THEY ARRIVED DROV AS SOON AS THE BATCH OF EIGHT EPISOS LAND ON NETFLIX. THEIR FAWNG OVER THE HEARTSTOPPER LOVERS MA THE SERI IMMEDIATELY SOAR TO THE TRENDG PAGE OF TWTER WH AN OUTPOURG OF SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATN.FANS ARE PECIALLY STCK BY THE AMOUNT OF PARALLELS THE SERI HAS TO THE WEBIC, GRATEFUL THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH RPECT FOR S SOURCE MATERIAL. REMEMBER THAT PEN EXPLOSN EPISO 1? THAT’S STRAIGHT OM THE IC. ADVERTISEMENT WE’RE NOT EVEN AT THE BT PART OF THE SHOW YET, THOUGH. THAT EPISO 1, RIGHT AROUND THE END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SHOW: AMY AWARD-WNER OLIVIA COLMAN MAK A SURPRISE APPEARANCE AS NICK’S SUPPORTIVE MOTHER. WHEN I FIRST SAW HER FACE—TALK ABOUT HEART-STOPPG! (AGA, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE!)OSEMAN HAD THE SAME REACTN AFTER COLMAN JOED THE ST. “I LERALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS THE STUPIST IA EVER,” OSEMAN RELLED WHEN COLMAN’S NAME WAS FIRST MENTNED. “I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS OR ANYONE FAMO WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS. I WAS PROVEN WRONG!” NETFLIX THE HEARTSTOPPER FANS HAVE IMMEDIATELY WELED COLMAN TO THEIR UNIVERSE, CELEBRATG HER TOUCHG SCENE LATER THE SEASON—SPOILER ALERT!—WHEN SHE LOVGLY ACCEPTS HER SON AFTER HE OUT TO HER.“THANK YOU #HEARTSTOPPER FOR GIVG NICK NELSON,” ONE ER SHARED, “TO SEE HIM FIGURE HIMSELF OUT, UNRSTAND HE IS BI AND TELL HIS MUM ON HIS OWN TERMS HIS OWN TIME AND FOR HER TO JT HUG HIM.” ADVERTISEMENT OH, AND JOE LOCKE, WHO PLAYS NICK, N NOW LL COLMAN HIS “UNOFFICIAL MOTHER--LAW” HIS INSTAGRAM B. JT ONE MORE ADDN TO THE SEA OF MANY REASONS TO LOVE HEARTSTOPPER! FLETCHER PETERS

*Spoilers for Heartstopper episo two below*The scene qutn – which at the end of the send episo – se Nick, who is nfed about his romantic feelgs towards Charlie, googlg: “Am I gay?

“The most relatable moment Heartstopper is when Nick typ, ‘Am I gay? Another add: “Heartstopper havg Nick google, ‘am I gay’ and takg a Buzzfeed-que quiz is actually hilarly accurate. ”“Jeez, the ‘am I gay?

WHY HEARTSTOPPER MAK ME WISH I'D HAD MY OWN GAY TEEN ROMANCE

”“The ‘am I gay’google search is one of the most relatable thgs I have seen a tv show ever, ” another menter, however, joked that the only “unrealistic” parts of the scene were the fact that Nick ed punctuatn the google search bar and that he did not e gno mo on his browser to hi his search history.

“Not the ‘Am I gay’ search om Heartstopper, ” one tweet read. And her 15-year-old protagonist, Charlie, was openly gay, which meant the plot didn’t beg wh the character agonizg over his sexualy.

Reamg the queer g-of-age experience as, simply, g-of-age may seem like a subtle shift, but helps illumate how the emphasis on g out has perhaps limed queer my lleague Spencer Kornhaber observed 2018 of the wave of die films about queer teenagers, cludg Call Me By Your Name and Boy Erased, “It’s cur that an age of unprecented visibily for LGBTQ muni, the queer teens chosen for the cematic spotlight appear so allergic to, well, seemg gay … Whether the implied assiatnist impulse reflects the filmmakers’ or the characters’ utn is up for bate. In her rearch for her book, Growg Up Queer: Kids and the Remakg of LGBTQ Inty, Robertson worked wh an LGBTQ youth center, speakg wh teenagers who poted out that “beg gay wasn’t always their biggt problem, ” she told me. If the gay-rights movement ially emphasized narrativ about pri and learng to embrace one’s sexual inty rather than hidg , today’s teenagers look for more varied pictns of queer life.

THE 33 REACTNS TO NETFLIX’S HEARTSTOPPER WILL SEND YOU SPIRALLG TO A GAY PANIC

”Read: The shadow that queerbag sts on gay romanceIn both Heartstopper and Csh, the relatnships matter more than the sexual inti of the protagonists. Both lim the role of homophobic bullyg; Heartstopper, a classmate regularly sults Charlie, but bee Charlie has sturdy support Nick and a circle of iends, alg wh tnts isn’t his ma ncern. Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ is takg the world by storm, and fans have a qutn; is K Connor gay?

Now fans are askg, “is K Connor gay? So is K Connor gay?

Is ‘Heartstopper’ Actor K Connor Gay?