Joe Locke teases ‘magic, fun and mystery’ of upcoming Marvel series ‘Agatha All Along’
Exclusive: As the Heartstopper star makes the leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he opens up about what we can expect from his latest role
Heartstopper may have launched the career of Joe Locke, but Agatha All Along looks set to take it to the next level. The actor, 20, will soon be seen as Teen in the WandaVision spinoff led by the incomparable Kathryn Hahn. They will also be joined by Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Debra Jo Rupp, Sasheer Zamata, and more.
Agatha All Along focuses on Agatha Harkness (Hahn) who was trapped by Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) in the town of Westview at the end of WandaVision in the guise of her fake persona of nosy neighbour Agnes. As per a recently released trailer, she is now working as a detective. The mysterious appearance of a body sets in motion a journey for Agatha to break free of Wanda’s spell and to set out to reclaim her powers along “the Witches’ Road”. Along the way, she recruits Locke and the others.
Speaking in the August/September issue of Rolling Stone UK – available to pre-order now – Locke teases, “It’s a dark comedy about witches. It’s not what you would usually expect from a Marvel series.” He can also divulge that his character, Teen, is the one who helps free Agatha from the spell. Teen also persuades her to let him accompany her on the Witches’ Road. “We gather a coven and a very unlikely group of women and me — which is my life in general — get on the Witches’ Road. Then magic, fun, and mystery prevails.”
Locke alludes to “many twists and turns,” and that “In the same way WandaVision goes through all these different subgenres of comedies, Agatha does that in a different way.” He then adds, “It’s definitely darker. It’s actually a little bit scary, which is good. I think it’s a great start for a new journey within the MCU of exploring different types of characters that aren’t like Iron Man or Captain America. It’s a new type of superhero, which I think is exciting.”
In what is familiar territory for Locke, Teen identifies as gay. He then elaborates on how the character’s queerness is depicted. Locke says, “The way it’s explored in the show is very truthful and very positive.” In doing so he draws a connection to Heartstopper in telling positive — and authentic — LGBTQ+ stories. “His sexuality is just one part of the character.”
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