Our “Heartstopper” Kit Connor Opens Up About Season 2, Coming Out And His Idol Status
It seems that overnight, the whole world fell in love with Kit Connor and the young cast of Netflix’s Heartstopper. That newfound fame has opened doors for Kit but it comes with its fair share of hardships.
In a new interview with British Vogue Kit spills the tea on Heartstopper season 2, talks about the heights the series has taken his career and mentions how difficult it was to come out before he was ready.
“I Would Have Preferred To Do It Another Way”
Kit stumbled across our screens in the role of Nick Nelson and his life changed. His softness and vulnerability were an instant hit with audiences and his boyish charm managed to make him an overnight sensation with Heartstopper’s young fanbase.
In November 2022, Kit tweeted a response to accusations saying he was queerbaiting. “I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself,” he says. Since then, Kit has spoken about the complexity of his decision to come out.
“I just felt like it wasn’t something I was ready to talk about,” he tells Vogue. “I wasn’t angry. I was just slightly disappointed by this reaction.” Kit talks about growing up in an environment that didn’t make being queer easy. “I was in a very heteronormative atmosphere. It wasn’t hugely inclusive. It wasn’t really accepted in a lot of ways.”
Despite the messiness of his coming out, Kit doesn’t have any regrets and doesn’t look back at the experience with bitterness. “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 says. “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.”
Speaking about Heartstopper entering its sophomore season, Kit explains that filming felt like getting to hang with friends. “We kind of forgot people were going to watch it. It was really just this beautiful experience of being able to make the show we really enjoy, and make friends and create a family,” he says. When all is said and done, the series changed his life in unexpected ways and he couldn’t be more pleased.
“It has gained me some of the best friends I’ve ever had. It gave me a lot more confidence and pride in myself,” says Kit.
