Olivia Colman is standing up for her TV son.
After online harassment forced her Heartstopper co-star Kit Connor to come out as bisexual on Oct. 31, Colman applauded Connor's bravery—while also criticizing those who ultimately forced him to address his sexuality.
"I am so proud of him, but I am not proud of how people bullied him," Colman, who plays mom Sarah to his Nick, told Variety at the Dec. 1 Empire of Light premiere. "I think people should be allowed to have their own journey."
Colman commended Connor for standing up for himself, especially in the face of such public scrutiny.
"I'm incredibly proud of him as a young man to deal with all of that and be in the spotlight," the Oscar winner said. "It's unfair. But he's amazing. He's a very beautiful human being."
On Heartstopper, Connor plays Nick, a rugby player who develops a relationship with Charlie (Joe Locke). As the show grew in popularity, some viewers took to the Internet to accuse Connor of queerbaiting, a term used to describe people who lean into suspicion that they may be queer in hopes of attracting attention and publicity.
In response, Connor tweeted, "i'm bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself."
One of the most emotional scenes of Heartstopper's first season involves Nick coming out to his mother while sitting at the dinner table. It's a moment in which the young actor heavily leaned on his veteran scene partner.
"We didn't have much prep for it," he told The Hollywood Reporter Nov. 27. "But I'm so glad that I was able to do it with Oscar winner Olivia Colman because we were able to get that immediate sense of believability. Here is a son who is able to be so vulnerable and honest with his mother. Yeah, I think if she were a lesser actor, then it would have been a lot harder. But thank God we had Olivia Colman to help us through."
The first season of Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix. In May, the show was renewed for a second season.