Sebastian Croft on His Favorite Genres, Upcoming Projects, and 'Heartstopper'

Photography by Joseph Sinclair

Styled by James Yardley

Since its release on Netflix in April, Heartstopper, an adaptation of the webcomic by Alice Oseman, has become a cultural phenomenon. Alongside the praise and accolades the show has received for its uplifting portrayal of LGBTQ+ adolescence has come fame and fandom for its young cast members. While Sebastian Croft’s character, Ben Hope, may be the show’s antagonist, Croft’s honest portrayal has earned him a legion of fans as well as critical praise. Here, Croft discusses Heartstopper, acting, fashion, and what is next for the actor. 

L’O: Did you feel a responsibility playing a villain such as Ben Hope? 

SC: Yes. I think whenever you’re playing a character that is loved (or in this case hated), there is a sense of responsibility because you want to do the material justice. And with this I felt a responsibility to myself to be really vulnerable and truthful with how I portrayed Ben. That was really scary at times, especially doing the sexual assault scene, because it felt really real. But that sense of responsibility always excites me and adds to the creative journey, because you know that you have an opportunity to connect with people. The fans were immediately so warm and welcoming, so by the time it came to filming I was just excited to delve into the world of Heartstopper and make something that could resonate with people. It helped that Alice Oseman was so involved. Alice really let us make the characters our own. You don’t see a huge amount of Ben in the books, and I loved filling in the blanks and exploring who this person is. On the one hand, he does unforgivable things, and I never wanted to excuse or justify that, but on the other hand, I see a boy who is suffering and afraid of who he might be. 

L’O: Who is on your list of people you’d love to work with?

SC: Greta Gerwig. That may seem like an obvious person now with Barbie taking over the world before it’s even been released, but I think she is just fantastic in Frances Ha, and Ladybird and her Little Women are two of my favorite films. I’m also really excited about working with young directors who I don’t yet know. As cool as it would be to learn from a master, I’m more excited about the next generation of filmmakers. Most of my favorite actors have directors that they collaborate with time and time again, and grow with together. I would love to build that kind of trust with someone over multiple different projects. 

L’O: Your approach to fashion seems very playful and experimental. How has this been cultivated over the years?

SC: I think there was a moment where I stopped caring what other people thought and started wearing what made me happy. I shot a film out in Italy for six months when I was 15, and on it, I met some of my best friends. It was the most incredible experience, and we would explore Italy by day and play cards through the night. Being surrounded by these amazing people and wearing whatever I wanted, I started to find my confidence. Ever since then I’ve found inspiration everywhere I look, whether it’s seeing someone else walking down the street, or how a character I like dresses in a movie. My friend [actor] Nico Besio told me something that always stuck with me, and it’s a Bob Dylan quote: “Sometimes you just have to bite your upper lip, and put sunglasses on.” 

L’O: Some of your looks are pretty bold. How do you make sure you wear the clothes and don’t let the clothes wear you? 

SC: I just love wearing bold clothes. I think you can wear anything if you feel comfortable in it. When I was at school and being bullied, I’d go to Brick Lane on the weekends with some of my older (and much cooler) friends, and we would wear the most outrageous outfits and buy the most colorful and quirky things we could find. There’s a real power to not being afraid of being loud. 

L’O: The Heartstopper fans are very passionate; what is your favorite thing about engaging with them?

SC: I recently made a T-Shirt of two dinosaurs kissing, with the tag line ‘Queer was always here.’ It was to raise money for Choose Love, [an organization that helps] queer refugees escape persecution. The speed at which the Heartstopper fans sprang into action was phenomenal. People made art, and painted pictures. Because of them, we were able to raise 150,000 pounds, and 100 percent of that money is going to on-the-ground help. I was totally blown away. I’ll never know what I did to deserve people who care about me and the things I make so much. 

L’O: What’s next for Sebastian Croft?

SC: I am currently on the set of a new film, where I am playing a completely different character to Ben and working with some amazing young actors. I am loving every second and I cannot wait for people to see what we are making. I’m also excited to be bringing people a character they won’t have to hate.