Kit Connor and Joe Locke say 'Heartstopper Forever' will show a more adult side of Nick and Charlie

Kit Connor and Joe Locke say Heartstopper Forever will push the story into more adult territory when it arrives on Netflix on July 17, 2026.

The actors, who play Nick and Charlie, said the final film includes more explicit intimacy than earlier chapters of the series, with Connor describing the challenge of finding the right balance on screen.

“It’s a line that you have to walk: ‘How far are we going to take this?’” Connor told The Guardian.

He said the choice made sense because the characters are older and still strongly drawn to each other.

Journalist Michael Cragg described two sex scenes in the film, including “sexual activity on a pier” and “mutual masturbation,” suggesting the movie is noticeably more explicit than the show’s earlier season.

“There’s a lot more sex, it would be weird if we hadn’t shown it,” Locke said.

Locke added that the series remains committed to portraying queer relationships with sincerity, while also acknowledging sex as part of young adult life.

“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,” he said.

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He also said the film is not trying to make a moral point about relationship style.

“I don’t think Heartstopper is ever trying to say anything bad about casual sex,” Locke said. “It’s just nice to see two boys in love.”

The film’s more physical scenes also brought some practical awkwardness. Connor said the shoot took place “in a silent room with lots of middle-aged men,” while Locke referred to being filmed closely while wearing “a cock sock.”

Connor said he would have taken the story in a less polished direction if he had been in charge, including writing conflict that was more grounded in real relationship mistakes.

“If I’d had my way, I would have had Nick and Charlie cheating on each other and doing all those stupid things,” Connor said. “Because young people do that and don’t necessarily need to be villainized for it. Heartstopper Forever takes a step in that direction of not being so rose-tinted about being human.”

Still, Connor said he would not want to interfere too much with creator Alice Oseman’s plans for the ending, and noted that Oseman has promised a happily ever after.

“Obviously, Alice [Oseman] knows Heartstopper better than anyone and we would never want to get our grubby little hands on it too much,” Connor said.

Heartstopper Forever premieres on Netflix on July 17, 2026.

For LGBTQ viewers, the film’s shift matters because it follows a series long praised for centering queer and trans joy while also making room for more frank depictions of intimacy as its characters grow up.