Heartstopper’s Joe Locke wants to ‘get ripped’ and play ‘macho straight man’ in next role

Joe Locke is manifesting his next big acting role, and it’s worlds away from Heartstopper’s Charlie Spring.

Speaking to transgender actress and author Dylan Mulvaney on the first episode of her new podcast The Dylan Hour, Locke revealed that he wants to play a “really macho straight man” next in his career.

He also divulged that he’s got a plan to bag a role like it, too: he’s started working out with a personal trainer.

Asked by Paper Doll author Mulvaney what he wants to tackle next in his career, Locke responded: “I want to play a really macho straight man in an action film.”

Mulvaney instantly retorted by mentioning film’s most macho man of all time, James Bond, but Locke was swift to shut the idea down.

“No, not James Bond,” he asserted. “I got caught saying I wanted to play James Bond by someone, an unnamed report, and it really annoyed me, because I was like: ‘You put those words in my mouth. I never said that. You said ‘Would you like to play James Bond?’ and I said, ‘Mmm, whatever, sure.’ I didn’t say that!”

Joe Locke went on to share that he’s currently trying to buff himself up with the help of a personal trainer, which may help his quest for a red-blooded role.

“My dream would be to get paid a sh*t tonne of money to get really ripped. I can’t be bothered to organise it,” he quipped.

joe locke would like to play a really macho straight man in an action film and he wants to get paid to get ripped

🎥: https://t.co/QcIUADOi88 pic.twitter.com/T7j7jbCn7A

— daily joe locke (@dailyjlocke) March 19, 2025

“I’m not a speedo guy. I’m trying to get my ass bigger this year so maybe this year’s the year I wear a speedo. I’ve started doing personal training, it’s really fun.

“I’ve always been so scared of the gym because I’ve always felt like I would be judged in that space. This is the first time I’ve been enjoying it.”

Locke’s desire to play a buff heterosexual man is understandable, considering he’s best known for playing queer teen Charlie in Heartstopper, and gothic gay superhero Wiccan in Agatha All Along.

He completed a stint on Broadway last year, playing straight character Tobias Ragg, and though the role was bloody as can be, it hardly falls into the “action” genre.

The actor also has a little free time to ponder his next big acting move, as Netflix is yet to confirm whether he – or any of the Heartstopper cast – will be returning for season four of the sweet teen drama.

Locke’s Hearstopper co-star on the other hand, Kit Connor, is gearing up to play a role dripping in machismo: he’s starring as a soldier in Warfare by Ray Mendoza, based on Mendoza’s experiences as a Navy SEAL in the Iraq War.

Elsewhere in his chat with Mulvaney, Locke dished on his celebrity crush, revealing that Superman star Henry Cavill is his ideal man.

Mulavaney went on to share what she, as Locke’s friend, believes is his ideal type.

“I think your type is a little older, maybe a little taller, a little buffer,” she said, to which Locke confirmed: “I like a man…“

The Dylan Hour is streaming now.

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