Heartstopper heartthrob Kit Connor opened up about the alleged fan pressure to change his physique as he gears up to return as his character, Nick Nelson, for the hit queer Netflix series.
In an interview with Vulture, the 19-year-old actor denied that he was forced into bulking up by fans and claimed that it was through his own terms as a young adult who realized that the body that he had wasn’t wholly equipped to play the role.
“That wasn’t a good way of thinking,” Connor admitted. “But I was a teenager. I still am.”
The ‘Heartstopper’ actor initially received comments from fans that his physique in season one does not match Alice Oseman’s drawings of the rugby-playing bisexual Nick. However, Connor claimed that he now feels that he has a much healthier relationship with his body and finds that working out is good for his mental health. On his road to fitness, he has posted several thirst trap photos of himself on Instagram, which, albeit initially intended to showcase his progress, got fans and non-fans alike pressing those hearts.
Connor also said that one particular shot which had him posing shirtless for the camera had him feeling embarrassed. One of his ‘Heartstopper’ co-stars teased him and messaged him: “Oh, are we posting thirst traps now?” And while Connor insists that he does not want to be “that guy,” he also asserts that he’s still a teenager who’s figuring it all out.
“Anyone else does it, I’m like, Yeah, absolutely, body positivity! But when it comes to me, I’m just like, Absolutely not,” he shared in the interview.
