Olivia Colman has defended her Heartstopper co-star and on-screen son Kit Connor after he was made to feel ‘forced’ to come out as bisexual.
Connor, 18, plays Nick Nelson in hit coming of age Netflix series about a popular boy at school who starts spending more time with another boy, Charlie Spring (played by Joe Locke) who is outed.
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During the show, Nick tells his mum Sarah (Colman) that he’s bisexual, which she accepts lovingly and without judgement.
But outside the show, the teenage actor became the centre of intense speculation from fans regarding his sexuality.
In a tweet shared by Connor last month, he addressed the people who clearly hadn’t taken heed of the message of Heartstopper, leading to him coming out.
“Back for a minute,” he wrote. “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.”
Olivia, 48, said she is ‘proud’ of Kit in a new interview, adding that he is a ‘very beautiful human being’ and she’s disappointed that he was ‘bullied’.
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“I’m so proud of him, but I am not proud of how people bullied him,” she told Variety while at the premiere for her new film Empire of Light.
“I think people should be allowed to have their own journey,’ she added.
“But I’m incredibly proud of him as a young man to deal with all of that and be in the spotlight. It’s unfair. But he’s amazing. He’s a very beautiful human being.”
In June Kit addressed the ‘strange’ speculation about his sexuality in an interview with W Magazine.
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“People can get a bit too comfortable on social media,” he said. "To speculate about a person’s sexuality is so dangerous, especially for someone at my age of 18, it’s a bit strange for me to see.
“If I haven’t said anything, you shouldn’t assume anything, but you also shouldn’t pressure me to tell people. It’s a very personal journey that people have to go on.”
Kit’s co-stars and the Heartstopper crew showed their support after he was ‘forced’ to come out. Alice Oseman – who created the graphic novels the show is based on - wrote: “I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes.”
Locke also offered his support, writing: “You owe nothing to anyone. I’m so proud of you my friend.”
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Kizzy Edgell, who plays Darcy, commented: “I love u Kit. I’m sorry this has been so disgustingly rough on you. Been treated so unfairly.”
Gregory Robinson