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Kit Connor has revealed he felt ‘objectified’ during his Broadway run as Romeo — saying he was left shaken by audience members taking pictures of him during a sex scene on stage.
The Heartstopper star, 21, made his Broadway debut in a bold, modern take on Romeo and Juliet, starring opposite West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler.
They played the titular star-crossed lovers in the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragic tale directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold.
He told American magazine The Cut: ‘I’d take my shirt off and see camera flashes from the audience… there was something quite seedy about that.’
The moment came during a scene in which Romeo climbs onto a suspended bed to kiss Juliet — a highly physical feat that’s become a viral hit on TikTok. But for Kit, the audience response could be unsettling.
‘It’s hard to talk about it. It upset me also because that scene came right after my “Banished” scene, in which Romeo threatens to kill himself,’ he said.
Kit Connor has revealed he felt ‘objectified’ during his Broadway run as Romeo — saying he was left shaken by audience members taking pictures of him during a sex scene on stage
The Heartstopper star, 21, made his Broadway debut in a bold, modern take on Romeo and Juliet, starring opposite West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler
They play the titular star-crossed lovers in the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragic tale directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold
‘I’d get very upset if I didn’t feel like I’d done a good job. I’d come backstage and be furious with myself.’
Kit added: ‘It wasn’t just that I felt objectified — and I did feel objectified at times, I’m not undermining that feeling — but what upset me more was that it undercut a really emotional, vulnerable moment. That mattered to me.’
He also spoke about grappling with self-perception.
‘I grew up very self-conscious. I used to stand on a train platform and all I could think was, That person thinks I’m an idiot or That person thinks my haircut’s shit,’ he said.
‘When Heartstopper came out, there was this evidence that my brain could use as a supply: that they might actually be thinking that.’
In October 2022, six months after the release of Heartstopper, Kit made a brief return to Twitter to come out as bisexual, having previously deleted the app and branded it a ‘silly’ space amid accusations of ‘queer-baiting’.
His message at the time read: ‘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.’
The moment sparked a wave of support, including from Heartstopper author Alice Oseman, who said: ‘I truly don’t understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities.’
He told American magazine The Cut: ‘I’d take my shirt off and see camera flashes from the audience… there was something quite seedy about that’
Despite the personal challenges, Kit’s performance on stage has earned critical acclaim. Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post called it ‘an impressive, heart-stopping Broadway debut’
Kit said: ‘I grew up very self-conscious. I used to stand on a train platform and all I could think was, That person thinks I’m an idiot or That person thinks my haircut’s shit.’
Kit later admitted that he ‘would have preferred to come out in a different way’ and ‘wasn’t ready to talk about it’ at the time.
Despite the personal challenges, Kit’s performance on stage has earned critical acclaim.
Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post called it ‘an impressive, heart-stopping Broadway debut’.
The Hollywood Reporter praised his Romeo as ‘innocent, impetuous, romantic’ and ‘laceratingly sorrowful’.
Other critics described him as ‘compelling’, ‘a leading-man revelation’ and ‘engaging from beginning to end’.
