As a young boy, Joe Locke performed at school and in amateur plays, but he never imagined he’d one day be singing in front of 1,500 people a night on Broadway. It was through theater that he met most of his friends, and where he says he found himself. One of his favorite roles growing up was Oliver, which, if you’ve met him—he’s rakish and shy—makes perfect sense. He laughs about it, mocking himself for being typecast as a Victorian orphan child, “But that was a long time ago.”
Known for his breakout role as Charlie Spring in the hit Netflix show Heartstopper, Locke has now returned to his theatrical roots: He arrived in New York in early January to begin rehearsals for his Broadway debut in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Grand Guignol–style classic. Locke plays Tobias Ragg, the young apprentice to a phony barber, who is eventually taken in by the owner of a local pie shop, Mrs. Lovett, and involved in a grisly plot. Sweeney Todd is a show far grimmer than the heartwarming, feel-good teen drama that Locke found success in—but so far, he’s enjoying the change of pace.
The 20-year-old stars alongside Broadway legends Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster, and is loving his new life in New York; he describes it as “a grittier and more-alive London.” Walking around, he likes to imagine stories for all the passerby he encounters—and, after a long day of performing, he’ll often order from one of New York’s finest: Chipotle.
After completing his first week of shows, Locke sat down with Vogue to talk about pre-show jitters, his upcoming Marvel series, and breaking out of his Heartstopper mold.
Vogue: You’ve been doing these shows for just over a week now. How does it feel?
Joe Locke: I’m starting to enjoy it now. I didn’t enjoy it at first—the first week was like, I don’t know what I’m doing. Am I in the right place? What am I supposed to do now? Where am I going now? I was terrified, and now I am less terrified. But I’m starting to know what I’m doing now and getting a bit cocky with it. The other day I was like, Oh, I’ve got ages, I don’t need to put my wig on…until I’m like, Oh, shit, shit, I need to be on stage in two minutes, and I’m rushing around. It’s fun. And everyone is so great. Film and TV is great, but this is always what I’ve loved since I was a kid.
Yeah, it sounds like a lot of pressure. Is it true that you’re an introvert?
I’m an introverted extrovert. Like, I’m shy and I like being alone, but not for too long. I get energy out of being with other people but I’m not the life of the party. But for work, I guess part of the job is putting on this confidence. And then I also love going home and watching TV and not talking to anyone for a few hours.
When you go home and watch TV, what are you watching?
I’ve been struggling to watch new things lately. My brain is so on Sweeney that when I go home I just want to watch the comfort shows I’ve seen ten thousand times. But Gavin Stacey, it’s a UK sitcom that I love. I’ve been watching a lot of Melissa McCarthy comedy films—I’ve probably watched all of her films 10 times over. And Slow Horses on Apple TV. The Morning Show as well.
Broadway is presumably much more physical than your role on Heartstopper. Did you have to do any training for it?
No, but I’m an awful dancer. I would say I’ve got two left feet—I actually have a natural turnout, which everyone keeps saying means I walk like a penguin. I just have no coordination.
I’m curious what it’s like to be in this role that is so separate from who you are as a person. I know that people projected a lot onto you and pried into your personal life and sexuality as Charlie in Heartstopper. How do you feel about playing a much less personal—or at least less realistic—role?
I love Heartstopper and I appreciate it in every way, and that’s the preface to it. But, yeah, I think one of the only negatives of that role is that you get sort of shoehorned into playing gay characters or characters whose sexuality is a key aspect of them as people—which is great, and I’m really happy that I’m able to do that, because 10 years ago that wouldn’t have been a thing. And Tobias’s sexuality—I mean, I haven’t ever thought about it, which is quite nice. I’m very happy and honored to have been given Charlie, but with a show like Heartstopper meaning so much to so many people, sometimes I just want to distance myself from [Charlie] a bit.
Are there any roles you are hoping to play in the future?
I want to play a more gritty and darker role. I’ve got a Marvel series coming up later this year [Agatha: Darkhold Diaries], which is much more of a darker role and I’m really excited for it, but I want to play a villain or someone evil. But I’ve got time. It’s a weird thing in this industry of people being like, “Oh, you need to do it now or you’re going to lose it and you’re never going to work again.” I don’t need to rush. I need to keep reminding myself of that.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.