Heartstopper star Kit Connor has shared some inspiring advice for others who may feel pressured to come out.
Back in October, the young talent was forced to come out after fans falsely claimed he was “queerbaiting.”
“Back for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself,” he wrote on Twitter at the time. “I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”
Since coming out, Connor has opened up about his journey navigating his sexuality in the public eye.
In a recent chat with fashion designer Jonathan Anderson for Interview Magazine, the Rocketman star gave insight into how the aforementioned moment affected him and what he learned it.
“I found it very disappointing, especially given my age – although I don’t think that it should be something that is speculated on at any age. I really wanted to have that boundary,” he said.
“What I learned from that experience is that there are certain things I want to keep private in my life. I’ve also learned that people are always going to have something to say.
“Even with me coming out, people will still have something to say –whether they believe me or not, whether they suddenly think, ‘Oh, now he can play straight roles?’ But whatever they say, they’re going to say something.”
In addition to his own growth, Connor shared some thoughtful advice for other people – including his celebrity peers – who may feel pressured to come out.
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“I’ve met certain people in the last year-abouts who are going through this kind of thing, where they’ve been in a show that’s blown up or something like that, and they’ve suddenly found themselves in this world where there are a lot of eyes on them,” he explained.
“Who you are as a person is suddenly really important to people. There’s something really weird and just wrong about it.”
After opening up about the overwhelming feeling of being known by millions of people, the beloved talent encouraged people in similar situations to not force themselves into a box for other people.
“But the advice I would give is… just that people will always talk. And it’s not necessary to fit into these boxes that people are going to try to fit you into,” she said.
“So I suppose I would tell anyone in a similar situation to just try to be who you are, and try to be aware of the fact that no matter who you are, someone’s going to be upset by it somehow.”
Connor’s interview comes a few weeks after he told British Vogue that his coming out moment made him feel empowered.
“I think ‘forced’ isn’t the right word I would use, but I would say that I would have preferred to do it another way,” Connor explained.
“I also don’t know if I would have ever done it. But at the end of the day, I don’t regret it. In many ways, it was really empowering.”
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