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Heartstopper's Joe Locke Reflects On Breaking Barriers in Agatha All Along As Marvel's Newest LGBTQ Teen Star; Calls it 'Most Pinch Me Thing'
Joe Locke, the teen Heartstopper sensation has shared his thoughts on rising fame and joining Marvel's Agatha All Along as a super intriguing gay character.
Joe Locke made his professional acting debut in Netflix’s Heartstopper, a coming-of-age love story between two young boys, that went on to rapidly become a pop culture phenomenon. He is now set to debut as 'Teen' in the MCU as the witches and the gays bring in more dimensions to the multiverse in the upcoming series, Agatha All Long.
A young LGBTQ icon himself, Locke joins queer icons Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata and Debra Jo Rupp alongside Hahn in the series. Responding to questions about possibly making a mark with the show in LGBTQ pop-cultural history, Locke said to Variety, "I’ve never really thought about it. It’s one of those things that gets a bit stressful if you think about it too much. But being in a Marvel series is the most 'pinch me' thing."
Locke, 20, has shared his excitement on his remarkable journey in the cinema industry as a queer teen, quickly rising to fame and landing the MCU role. As per the outlet, he quickly earned respect on the set of Agatha All Along, correcting Kathryn Hahn when she branded him a “gorgeous wizard” sitting among witches, that they were all witches.
His character, also in the series, who is termed ‘Teen’ in the credits, is essential to the story. There has been no more information released by Marvel Studios, however, the confirmation that the character is gay has gotten many to believe that Locke is portraying the character Wiccan, the son of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). If this is the case then Locke has become one of very few out actors, besides Tessa Thompson, to portray a queer superhero in MCU, with Wiccan already being an iconic LGBTQ superhero.
In contrast to other LGBTQ characters who get typecast because of stunted heteronormative imagination, the case of Locke in the MCU has been quite different. He emphasized that there has been no hesitation to talk about the character’s queerness throughout the show, but it is simply one of many characteristics of the character. Locked said, "The show never shies away from his queerness, but it’s not a defining feature of his character. It’s just one layer of him as a person."
Locke got cast in the MCU after eight auditions. He always thought an MCU debut meant getting buff, however, that wasn't the case for him. As an alternative to the expected superhero weight gainer, Locke was asked to keep his slimmer and leaner figure instead.
Once the trailer for the series dropped, he shook off some bitter reactions from rather homophobic Marvel fans, saying, "It really annoyed me because I was like, ‘You can’t ask for authentic casting and then be upset if you have a camp character.’"
The actor has accepted the fact that there are some high expectations and is ready for the consequences of being in the Marvel circuit where not all viewers will appreciate his offering. But then, he also stated that he greatly appreciates the chance as he steps into the character and handles it masterfully.
With Agatha All Along set to air this September and the third season of Heartstopper in October, Joe Locke is scheduled to remain booked and busy while grappling with even more fame.
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