The 'Heartstopper' actor begs his fans to respect his 'boundaries' after one person called his grandmother and his mother had to set up new social media accounts.
- Aug 10, 2023
AceShowbiz - Joe Locke has called on fans to respect his "boundaries" after one called his grandma. The "Heartstopper" actor, who plays Charlie Spring on the Netflix young adult drama, admitted he feels a "weird guilt" that his position in the public eye has led to his family members receiving unwanted attention, with his mum having to set up new social media accounts due to strangers trying to message her or track her location, and he wants to put firm lines in place.
Reflecting on his mother's online hassle and the call to his grandma, he told Teen Vogue magazine, "It's a weird guilt I sometimes feel that, by association, their lives are affected by choices in my life. It's a mutual thing. I need to learn my boundaries and people need to learn their boundaries. Most attention comes from a really good place, and I hope I always appreciate that."
The 19-year-old actor called on other young stars to help take a stand about retaining their privacy. He said, "There's an idea that it's part of the job to lose your privacy, that you lose your right to having privacy. That's something I hope the next generation of people in the public eye can change…. I think people are understanding that privacy is a non-negotiable."
Joe has never publicly spoken about his sexuality but thinks people have just "assumed" he is gay, though he admitted he has been open with friends and family from a young age. He said, "People have assumed and written it, and I haven't ever corrected anyone because I haven't felt the need to. But I've never specifically stated my sexuality... I have been openly gay since I was, like, 12."
The "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" actor gets "annoyed" by people thinking he is just like his character on "Heartstopper" as it makes him feel pressure to act like a "saint." He said, "People tend to assume that I am Charlie Spring and I'm a sweet, innocent person. Not that I'm not sweet - I'm a nice person, I hope - but I think people assume that I'm a saint, and therefore I can never act or do things in a way that a normal 19 year old would. That annoys me sometimes."
