"Heartstopper Forever" signals a major shift towards adult territory for the franchise, its star Joe Locke says, as the hit Netflix coming-of-age drama comes to a close.
The British actor, who rose to fame with the first season of the "Heartstopper" television series, joined co-stars Kit Connor and Yasmin Finney at Tuesday's London world premiere of "Heartstopper Forever", the feature film concluding the franchise.
"They're young adults, and it would be remiss of us to not show that in their own way," Locke told Reuters. "If we were to show these kids not having sex, then that would be unrealistic, because teenagers have sex."
Locke and Connor became breakout names after the first season's 2022 debut, which grappled with the theme of homophobia. The show became an instant hit and expanded across two more seasons.
Creator Alice Oseman said she had never expected the series, which began as a comic, to achieve such success.
"I was really just doing this on the side as a fun side project, and now it's so important to so many people and I really don't take that lightly," she told Reuters.
Two years on from season three, "Heartstopper Forever" centres on Charlie, played by Locke, and Nick, played by Connor, contemplating living apart as decisions over university choices and gap years loom over them.
As Nick worries about the toll of distance on a fragile Charlie, he slips into alcohol use; Charlie, meanwhile, struggles with mounting jealousy.
Connor said the fandom's response to the series and the personal stories he has heard about its impact, have made being part of the franchise "a really amazing thing.”
"As an actor, you can frankly not expect any of the jobs that you do to have the kind of impact that this show and this film hopefully will have," he said, adding, "I feel very lucky for it every day."
Though "Heartstopper Forever" is set to conclude the franchise for now, Oseman said she would "never say never" to developing a spin-off.
"Heartstopper Forever" is set to be released on Netflix on Friday.
