Joe Locke may play 16-year-old twinky gay Charlie on Heartstopper, but in real life he’s now officially a 21-year-old fashionista.
Even before turning the milestone birthday on September 24th, Locke has been slowly morphing away from his boyish TV gear to becoming a full-fledged style king.
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Whether attending fashion shows, rocking Longchamp and Alexander McQueen fits on red carpets, or being the face of AMI Paris’ latest campaign, Locke has upped his sartorial swag like a seasoned pro.
He won’t be needing to borrow his on-screen boyfriend Kit Connor‘s jumpers sweaters any longer.
Although it’s still adorable!
Now in the midst of doing press for both the latest season of Heartstopper and the premiere of Disney+ series Agatha All Along, Locke is continuing the rise of his dapper era in a stunning editorial photo shoot for The Laterals. The Laterals is a bi-annual magazine and digital website with a mission to cross promote celebrities and style makers from the East and the West.
In the spread lensed by Christopher Fenner and styled by Ben James Adams, Locke dons more than a half dozen looks including a plunging bondage-inspired purple top and leather pants from Pillow Prince.
Charlie Spring is shook!
In the accompanying article, Locke opened up about trying to keep his personal life to himself despite his exploding fame over the last three years.
“I think my privacy is like a power,” he told the outlet, “and the idea of losing that is like the loss of that power.”
And part of maintaining that privacy means having to avoid some of his most feral fans: the gays!
“My friend, he’s not in the industry, and said that Kit [Connor] and I, whenever we see a group of teenagers or gay people, we both put our heads down,” he added. “But we don’t even realize we’re doing it.”
However, the avoidance tactic isn’t personal, it’s just purely about having to get from point A to point B and not disappointing anyone.
“It’s not like we’re afraid of them,” Locke shared. “It’s just that sometimes when you’re trying to get somewhere, it’s a bit easier to just, ya know.. “
So boys, don’t take offense if you see Locke running in the other direction. He’s just got places to be!
Both Heartstopper and Agatha All Along are streaming now on Netflix and Disney+, respectively. Check out more from Locke’s editorial shoot with The Laterals below:
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Kit Connor filmed intimate scenes on ‘Heartstopper’ for… 7 hours?! “We shot a lot of footage!”
Kit Connor is taking things up a notch on the new season of Netflix’s ‘Hearstopper.’
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