Heartstopper fans should prepare for more steamy scenes in the new Netflix film. The young adult show returns with one final chapter called Heartstopper Forever tomorrow (July 17), which sees Joe Locke and Kit Connor reprising their roles as Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson.
Mature Content Reflects Character Growth
Based on Alice Oseman's popular graphic novels, the film picks up as Charlie and Nick face the prospect of a long-distance relationship ahead of going to university. We've watched their romance blossom over three seasons, during which they were completely inseparable. So this new milestone poses a new hurdle they haven't faced before.
As well as a new challenge, though, fans will notice that Charlie and Nick are more intimate in the new film than in previous seasons. When asked about the final chapter featuring "a lot more sex," Connor told The Guardian: "It's a line that you have to walk: 'How far are we going to take this?'"
Actors Defend Inclusion of Sex Scenes
He went on to explain that the inclusion reflected a natural progression in the characters' romance. "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," Connor added.
Locke agreed, explaining: "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."
Pushing Boundaries Beyond Traditional Scenes
The new coming-of-age drama includes traditional sex scenes as well as segments depicting masturbation, which is pretty standard for the genre. However, Heartstopper has previously centred on the less-explicit elements of young queer relationships.
The actors were actually eager to push the envelope even further with their characters, Connor revealed. He said: "If I'd had my way, I would have had Nick and Charlie cheating on each other and doing all those stupid things. Because young people do that and don't necessarily need to be villainised for it. Heartstopper Forever takes a step in that direction of not being so rose-tinted about being human."
Heartstopper Forever premieres on Netflix this Friday, July 17.
