Photo: Dave Benett/Getty
Joe Lockewould like his fans to be mindful of his friends and family’s right to privacy.
With his rise to fame on Netflix’s hit series,Heartstopper, the 19-year-old actor revealed he sometimes feels a “weird guilt” when his loved ones are made to pay the price for his celebrity status.
Joe Locke in ‘Heartstopper’.Samuel Dore/Netflix
Samuel Dore/Netflix
Locke revealed that his mother was forced to create new accounts on social media after fans attempted to message her and learn her location. Even his grandmother fell victim to his fame when a stranger discovered her phone number and called her.
“It’s a mutual thing,” he said. “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.”
This isn’t the first time Locke has called out devoted fans forgoing too far.
Joe Locke and Kit Connor in ‘Heartstopper’.Teddy Cavendish/Netflix
Teddy Cavendish/Netflix
Back in November 2022, the actor publicly supported hisHeartstoppercostar and onscreen love interest, Kit Connor, after he revealed that he felt he waspressured to come outas bisexual on social media.
“You owe nothing to anyone. I’m so proud of you my friend,” Locketweetedat the time.
ToTeen Vogue, the actor shared that he hugged Connor onset later that day.
“We were all very proud of him, and we’re proud of him controlling the narrative,” he continued. “I’m very proud of him for doing his own thing and what was right for him.”
Locke added, “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 nonnegotiable.”
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Heartstopperseason 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
source: people.com
