Kit Connor ‘upset’ by audience taking ‘seedy’ topless images of him in Romeo and Juliet
Kit Connor starred in Broadway’s Rome + Juliet opposite Snow White’s Rachel Zegler. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
Kit Connor starred in Broadway's Rome + Juliet opposite Snow White's Rachel Zegler. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
Kit Connor has spoken about how it felt being objectified during his run in Romeo & Juliet on Broadway.
The 21-year-old Heartstopper star made his Broadway debut in the adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic starring opposite West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler.
Much was made of Connor’s performance, with critics praising him. But much was also made about the young actor’s physical appearance. This was in part due to some shirtless scenes in the show.
Speaking to The Cut about what it was like tackling Shakespeare, Connor said, “I really wanted to know if I could” it. But despite his acclaimed turn as the ill-fated hero, Connor struggled, and not for the first time, with how people perceived his body.
Once his run began you didn’t have to go far on social media to find clips and pictures sneakily (or not so sneakily, as the case may be) of Connor topless onstage.
“I’d take my shirt off and see camera flashes from the audience, Connor told The Cut, addressing the topic directly. “There was something quite seedy about that,” he added.
After pausing momentarily he continued. “It’s hard to talk about it. It upset me at times. Not because I felt objectified — and I did feel objectified at times, I’m not undermining that feeling.” What upset him “more,” he said, was that it followed a scene where Romeo threatens to kill himself.
It’s not the first time Connor has had to deal with people commenting on his body. In 2023 Connor discussed bulking up after comments about his physique on Heartstopper. Some people said it didn’t match Alice Oseman’s drawings of Nick Nelson in the web comics.
“I wouldn’t say I was forced into it by fans,” the then 19-year-old said. “But it was me as a young adult coming to terms with the body that I had and feeling I wasn’t completely equipped to play the role,” Connor admitted. “That wasn’t a good way of thinking.”
Heartstopper is streaming on Netflix now.
