@theglassmagazine
The Glass MagazineJoe Locke emerged from an open audition of 10,000 hopefuls with nothing more than a headshot and a self-tape. The now 22-year-old actor has spent the better part of his formative years inhabiting one of the most beloved characters in contemporary queer storytelling: Charlie Spring. Three seasons of Heartstopper later, he is ready to let him go. Heartstopper Forever, the feature film conclusion to Alice Oseman’s landmark series, promises both a homecoming and a graduation. “I hope fans will enjoy seeing the end of this story because we get to revisit a lot of things,” Locke tells Glass Man in the Summer issue. “Now that we’re a bit grown up, the characters have also grown up - and seeing these elements morph into something more mature is truly special.” For Locke, the parallel between actor and character has never felt more honest. When he first stepped into Charlie’s shoes at 17, he was, by his own admission, still figuring out his place in the world. The man sitting across from us now knows exactly where he stands. “It felt like for the first time he’s the one in control of his own story,” he says of Charlie, and you sense he means himself just as much. “It sort of felt like a very natural progression for me.” Some endings, it turns out, feel less like a goodbye and more like an arrival. The next stop? We’ll let Locke guide us. GLASS Man is out this week! Photographer: Elliott Morgan Stylist: Nathan Henry Grooming: Petra Sellge Styling assistant: Johnny McCaragher Interview: Chidozie Obasi Talent: @Joe Locke Cover credit: Silk pocket square: @Liberty London #JoeLocke #Heartstopper #HeartstopperForever
On the profile · Jul 6, 2026