Joe Locke, star of Netflix's 'Heartstopper', faced a uniquely awkward moment at the London premiere of the series' finale film, 'Heartstopper Forever'. During a post-screening Q&A at Cineworld Leicester Square, Locke quipped: 'The screen was so big! My mum's here watching me get a blowjob on screen.' The remark drew laughter and applause from the audience, which included journalists and fans.
Viral moment and fan reactions
A clip of the exchange shared on X (formerly Twitter) amassed over one million views. Fans expressed sympathy and amusement. One user, Dami, commented: 'He's just laughing to hide the absolute terror.' Another, @Krishna827705, wrote: 'Watching that on a giant screen with your mom sitting right next to you is an extreme sport.' Some praised Locke's humour, with Mia stating: 'Never change Joe Locke.'
More sex scenes in the finale
Locke and co-star Kit Connor have confirmed that 'Heartstopper Forever' includes more explicit sexual content than previous seasons, which were notably chaste. Connor told The Guardian: 'It's a line that you have to walk: How far are we going to take this? But at the end of the day, it did feel like these two guys are really attracted to each other at the age where they probably would have been doing it.'
Locke added that the increased sexual content reflects the characters' age and relationship progression, not a tonal shift. He said: 'There's a lot more sex, it would be weird if we hadn't shown it. Just because our show is a more earnest version of a queer representation doesn't mean that sex [shouldn't be shown]. It's still a big thing for anyone in the world.'
Heartstopper Forever release
The film concludes Nick and Charlie's adolescent love story as they head to university. It will be available to stream on Netflix from Friday, July 17.
