Olivia Colman slams bullies who forced Kit Connor to come out
The actress has also said she's "proud" of Connor for coming out publicly as bisexual.
After pulling on our heartstrings as Kit Connor’s on-screen mum in Heartstopper, Olivia Colman is doing it again but in real life.
The actress who cameoed as Nick Nelson’s mum in Heartstopper‘s first season has said she’s “proud” of Connor, 18, for coming out publicly as bisexual.
Connor made the announcement in November when he reappeared on Twitter to say: “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye”.
It followed accusations against the actor of ‘queerbaiting’ which refers to people who are accused of using queer aesthetics or hinting at a queer identity without actually committing to or being a part of the LGBTQ community.
Speaking to Variety on Thursday (1 December) at the L.A. premiere of her new drama Empire of Light, Olivia said: “I am so proud of him, but I am not proud of how people bullied him.”
She went on to say, “I think people should be allowed to have their own journey. But I’m incredibly proud of him as a young man to deal with all of that and be in the spotlight. It’s unfair. But he’s amazing. He’s a very beautiful human being.”
Not that we were in any doubt before, but we love Olivia Colman. Nick’s coming out as bisexual in the show’s closing moments was one of the most heartwarming moments in a series full of similarly touching scenes.
Olivia also shared with Variety that she joined Heartstopper because she’d worked with the director, Euros Lyn, on Broadchurch.
“I said yes before I had read it and when I read it, I went, ‘Oh, it’s really important’. If any of my children experienced that, I’d want them to know that the world can be beautiful and accepting and loving.”
Again, we love Olivia!
Heartstopper season two is currently in production.