On Saturday night’s red carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards, Joe Locke spilled the tea on his future career, his thoughts on his previous projects, and what it would take to get him and Patti LuPone together on stage.
Speaking to Deadline, Locke mused on the differences between starring as Charlie in Heartstopper, his first-ever acting gig, and playing Teen (aka Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan) in Marvel’s Agatha All Along.
“Heartstopper I did first, and I think Agatha was the first time I’ve felt like I was an actual actor,” Locke said. “I think Heartstopper, you know, the character is very close to me as a person, whereas Agatha was the first time I felt challenged in a way that I actually was someone different. And I guess I learned that I could do that, and I can do this as a career.”
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Locke attended the awards as a nominee for Best Breakthrough Performance in a New Scripted Series for his performance in Agatha All Along, but the trophy ultimately went to Jessica Gunning for Baby Reindeer. There are absolutely no hard feelings, though; even before the ceremony, Locke said he was hoping for Gunning to take the prize.
“I’m rooting for Jess Gunning,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “As much as I’d love to win myself, I’m like, ‘She deserves it. It’s hers.’ Very good — happy for her already. Didn’t invite my mum, so I was like, ‘It’s alright, Mum. Jess has got this. You come next time.’”
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“We’ve moved on from that sort of thing,” Locke said of the previously unconfirmed movie in an interview last month.
“I was just like, ‘Oh, such a shame, everyone. I’ve just got too big of a bum,'” Locke recalled in a new interview.
So, what’s next for Locke? For now, there’s nothing confirmed on the docket for the 21-year-old actor, but he told The Hollywood Reporter he’s currently on the lookout for his next project.
“I’m auditioning, seeing what’s around,” Locke said. “I think it’s tricky trying to find the right next thing, finding the perfect job. I’ve been lucky so far that things have fit into place that were the right thing, and I’m hoping to find another right thing.”
That could mean another Marvel project, including the upcoming Disney+ series Vision, where Marvel newcomer Ruaridh Mollica is heavily rumored to be playing Locke’s missing brother Tommy. On the topic of acting in an Agatha All Along follow-up, Locke told Deadline, “I’d love there to be a Season 2. I’d do anything. Marvel, I’m at your will. Anything you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
But Locke also seems to have his eyes set on returning to Broadway. Last year, he made his Broadway debut in Sweeney Todd, and in a recent Instagram post, he wrote, “Please someone give me a job in New York again I want to move back so badly.”
That could include appearing on stage with his Agatha All Along co-star Patti LuPone, who joined Locke on the red carpet. When the pair was asked by Variety what musical they’d want to be in together, Locke said he’s open to anything, including original work.
“I’d do anything with Patti,” Locke said. “Write me and Patti a musical and we’ll do it.”
LuPone agreed that she’d love to take the stage with Locke, but with a few conditions. “I don’t want to do any more musicals! But if they proposed a musical with Joe, I’d do a musical with Joe,” she said. “Five shows a week, all evening performances,” she added as a caveat.
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