Joe Locke Says ‘Heartstopper’ Didn’t Really ‘Make Me an Actor’ — But Getting ‘Agatha All Along’ Did

Locke also credits his role in the 2023 Broadway revival of "Sweeney Todd" as shifting his perspective around his own talent and place within his chosen profession.

Joe Locke is in his professional actor era. After making his debut on the hit Netflix coming-of-age rom-com series “Heartstopper” in 2022, Locke went on to star as Toby in the 2023 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” on Broadway and has now joined the Marvel family as the only male in the otherwise all-female cast of the Disney+ series “Agatha All Along.” While he still is only 21 and relatively new on the scene, in a recent interview with GQ, Locke admitted that it’s been hard for him to accept his rise as a thespian, especially because his role in “Heartstopper” is so similar to his own life.

“Post-‘Heartstopper,’ whenever people would call me an actor, I would almost recoil a bit because I think in my head it was like, ‘Well, I’ve got this one part that’s very like me as a person, but doesn’t really make me an actor,’” Locke said. “It wasn’t until getting Marvel and doing that and then doing ‘Sweeney’ that I was like, ‘Oh no, I actually am an actor. That’s weird.”

In establishing himself beyond “Heartstopper,” at first, Locke thought he had to play parts that were completely different from his role on the series and his own personality, but is slowly realizing that embracing who he is doesn’t have to be such a bad thing.

“I find myself wanting to go to the other extreme. Every time I get sent a gay role, I’m like, ‘I want to play, like, a straight Republican,’” said Locke. He added later, “I think I’m really in my head at the moment over being typecast as just playing a camp gay role. Because in Marvel, I also play a gay character. But it’s a me thing. It’s a thing I need to get over, myself.”

“Agatha All Along” is led by Kathryn Hahn, and also features performances from Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, and Debra Jo Rupp. Discussing how Locke carries himself, LuPone said to GQ, “He’s a baby in this business, and this business is brutal. I was concerned for him because his persona is really just extremely sweet, and this being his second job after ‘Heartstopper,’ I thought, ‘You’re in for an incredible ride. Hopefully it’ll be positive. But if it’s not, are you prepared?’ And he is totally prepared. He is so self-assured in who he is.”

The show’s creator, Jac Schaeffer, echoed those sentiments, sharing how he was never one to shy away in his trailer, but instead, was always present on set, even when he wasn’t shooting.

“He wanted to be part of the community and he wanted to learn at the feet of these women,” said Shaeffer, “but he also could hold his own and they wanted him around too.”

“Agatha All Along” is currently streaming on Disney+ with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.