Kit Connor has once again captured hearts with his latest transformation. The Heartstopper actor, who plays Nick Nelson in the Netflix teen drama, stunned fans with his nearly unrecognizable appearance after growing out his beard and long hair. In a since-deleted Instagram Story photo shared by GQ style director Zak Maoui, Kit displayed his new look while sitting beside his Heartstopper costars Joe Locke and Tobie Donovan. The 22-year-old actor held his thumb up and smiled, while Joe—who plays Kit's onscreen love interest Charlie Spring—stuck out his tongue for the camera. Meanwhile, Tobie—who portrays Charlie and Nick's friend Isaac Henderson—smiled as he held up his drink.
This isn't the first time that Kit has turned heads with his physical transformation. The Warfare actor also wowed fans in 2023 after showcasing his physique and fitness regimen in a YouTube video shared by powerlifter Nathaniel Massiah. At the time, Kit said he was inspired to change up his look after receiving feedback from Heartstopper fans about his portrayal of Nick, who is depicted as a muscular man in the Alice Oseman graphic novels of the same name.
"The character that I'm based on is six foot two and very muscular. I was shorter and thinner at the time, and when the announcement was made, some people on the internet said, 'He's too skinny to play him.' I saw that and thought, 'Damn,' so I started eating a lot," he recalled. "I was doing 200 push-ups a day, but the only thing that was developing was my chest. In Heartstopper, there are a few scenes where I'm wearing a tight shirt, and my chest... my 'boobies' were looking quite large. Then I started hitting the gym properly."
However, not all online chatter is constructive for Kit. After all, he felt forced to come out as bisexual after being accused of queerbaiting—a term used to describe people who lean into suspicion that they may be queer in hopes of attracting publicity—while promoting the coming-of-age dramedy.
"I'm bi. Congratulations for forcing an 18-year-old to come out," Kit wrote in a since-deleted post on X in 2022. "I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye."
Despite this, the passionate fanbase hasn't prevented Kit from embracing his character. In fact, the actor—who won a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in 2022—is expected to reprise his role as Nick one last time in an upcoming conclusion film for the series.
