As one of the principal stars of Netflix’s “Heartstopper,” Kit Connor faced intense scrutiny about his private life before he came out as bisexual last fall.
In October, the British actor reappeared on Twitter after a brief hiatus to clarify his sexuality, but said that the announcement was not of his own accord.
“Back for a minute,” he wrote at the time. “I’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.”
In a new interview with British Vogue, Connor reflected on the media blitz that ensued, describing the tweet as an emotional response to a number of factors at the time.
“I’m a young man, so I’m already kind of going through certain things, in terms of just life and mental health,” he explained. “I just needed to let that energy out.”
Still, he acknowledged being “slightly disappointed” in the legions of “Heartstopper” viewers who had pressured him to issue a public statement.
“I just felt like it wasn’t something I was ready to talk about,” he said.
Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series, “Heartstopper” follows a budding romance between two teen boys, Charlie Spring (played by Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Connor), at a secondary school in small-town England.
The series premiered to great acclaim last year and catapulted its predominantly young cast into the spotlight. Off-screen, Connor had been coming to terms with his true self for some time, calling it a “very natural process.” Still, he was nonetheless wary of the prevalence of biphobia, noting: “It’s the experience of maybe you’re too straight to be gay and you’re too gay to be straight. So it’s like, ‘Where do I sit?’ But I feel much more secure in myself now.”
Given that Connor had not yet labeled his sexuality, some accused him of “queerbaiting” ― or pandering to fans by leaning into the belief that he identifies as LGBTQ in real life ― after he was photographed holding hands with actor Maia Reficco, his female co-star in the forthcoming film “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.”
Unlike many of his “Heartstopper” cast mates, Connor has been acting in television and film for about a decade ― which he believes made him an easier target on social media. Still, he wishes his announcement could’ve been on his own terms ― and he might opt for a different choice of words, too.
“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,” he told the magazine. “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.”
He went on to credit “Heartstopper,” which returns for its second season Aug. 3, for having given him “a lot more confidence and pride” to live authentically.
“I can’t put into words how grateful I am for ‘Heartstopper,’ in the way it’s affected my life, my career, my perception of myself and my general mindset,” he said.