Heartstopper’s Kit Connor doesn’t think his queerness defines him.
Last November, the 19-year-old actor revealed his bisexuality.
Heartstopper viewers and trolls accused him of “queerbaiting” for not disclosing his sexuality.
Kit now says his tweet was “frankly a bit rash”.
Aged 18 at the time, Kit tweeted: ‘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 The Guardian and after admitting he wishes his coming out could’ve been ‘different’, the child star insisted that he is more than his sexuality.
‘The whole point of the show is that [queerness] is not always so stereotyped,’ began the Nick Nelson actor, whose character also comes out as bi at the end of season 1.
‘There are so many lines in the show where someone goes, “Nick Nelson, he’s the straightest guy in the school. He’s the captain of the rugby team so there’s no way [he’s queer].” Sometimes you just need to give people space.’
Kit said that Netflix’s August 3 season 2 will highlight Nick’s coming out problems.
He considers this “essential” for viewers.
‘Although now I know that I’m queer, I personally don’t find it a super defining factor,’ he shared.
‘I wouldn’t want to be defined by “queer actor”. I want to play all parts. Hopefully, I can do that if my career lasts, if I flourish. Touch wood.’
Reflecting on coming out previously, Kit insisted that he isn’t ‘angry’ about how it went down.
The reaction “disappointed” him.
‘I just felt like it wasn’t something I was ready to talk about,’ he said.
Kit said he “would have wanted to do it another way” even if he didn’t think “forced” was the proper term.
He’s not sure if he’d ever done it.
‘But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it. In many ways it was really empowering,’ he added while speaking to British Vogue.
Kit returns as rugby player Nick, who is dating quiet boy Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) in Heartstopper season 2.
Season 1 ended with the beautiful duo declaring themselves lovers, delighting millions of spectators.
Season 2 will continue with the students going on a school trip to Paris, getting ready for prom, and dealing with youthful love.
Heartstopper season 2 lands on Netflix on August 3.