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Heartstopper Fans Disappointed Over Sebastian Croft's Hogwarts Legacy Role
Croft is voicing a playable character in the upcoming Harry Potter-adjacent game.
Heartstopper star Sebastian Croft is the latest actor announced as lending his voice to the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy game, and fans are conflicted.
Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world action role-playing game set in the world of Harry Potter. It has been hotly anticipated by enduring fans of the novels, while those who have become jaded by author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views and persistent punching down at her often marginalized critics have remained frustrated that so many people are still willing to engage in things that benefit her financially and increase the platform she uses to spread her views.
Simon Pegg, Amelia Gething, Lesley Nicol, Kandace Caine, Luke Youngblood, Sohm Kapila, Asif Ali, Adam O’Connor, and Jason Anthony have all also been announced as voice talent for the game, but Croft’s joining may sting the most.
Hearstopper quickly became a source of joy and optimism for LGBTQ+ fans, as it not only centered a queer relationship, but showcased a cast of characters that supported them.
And Croft himself has proven supportive of the LGBTQ+ community on a number of occasions, even raising money to help queer refugees with a shirt featuring two dinosaurs kissing.
But at a time when too many are trying to divide the “T” from the “LGBQ,” seeing Croft take part in a project connected to a high-profile transphobe was disappointing to many fans.
\u201cSpent time befriending trans actors during Heartstopper, speaking positively for LGBTQ+ rights, attending pride, and @SebastianCroft is still going to be in the new HP game. Disappointment after disappointment today tbh. Say it's about the paycheck and go, then.\u201d— J. R. Hart | \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@J. R. Hart | \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1673480329
\u201c@SebastianCroft "queer was always here" includes trans people. just reminding you bc you apparently forgot what your own merch stands for.\u201d— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f) 1673522448
\u201chey @SebastianCroft how do you feel about prioritizing your own career over your trans siblings and friends\u201d— kay! \ud83e\udd60 38 (@kay! \ud83e\udd60 38) 1673468206
\u201cFor someone who\u2019s been so vocal about supporting trans rights, it\u2019s disappointing to see him go to a project that directly contributes to a well know transphobe\u2019s already massive platform, and to know that people will buy it because they\u2019re fans of his other stuff\u2026\u201d— t s a m (@t s a m) 1673535652
In Croft’s defense, some people pointed out we don’t know when he took this role or recorded his lines. Video games can spend a lot of time in development, and it’s possible he did this before Heartstopper, before he was aware of Rowling’s views, or perhaps at a time when allyship wasn’t as important to him.
But without a statement from Croft himself, fans are forced to fill in the gaps themselves and make assumptions one way or another. And for now, that’s leaving a lot of them confused and disappointed.
Croft was born on December 16, 2001.
Croft has mostly made his mark in TV so far, but has appeared in several movies as well, including Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans, Dampyr, and School's Out Forever.
Croft played Young Ned Stark in two episodes of Game of Thrones.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
