Achi news desk-
Kit Connor teases a big Romeo and Juliet themed announcement. (Getty/Canva/Instagram)
Heartstopper star Kit Connor has hinted at his next big project, and fans think they’ve found out exactly what he’s up to.
On Monday, (15 April), the actor – best known for playing Charlie Spring’s boyfriend Nick Nelson in the Netflix teen drama Heartstopper – cryptically posted “R” on his Instagram profile.
The turquoise letter appeared next to half of a “+” symbol in the graphic, leaving fans to assume that there was a second part of the image somewhere on Instagram.
And they were proven correct.
At the same time, The Hunger Games: Songbirds and Snakes Ballad actress Rachel Zegler posted the other half of the image, with the letter “J”.
As mysterious as the pair tried to be, captioning the images with a heart and sword only emoji, fans were quick to speculate that “R + J” probably stood for Romeo and Juliet.
Adding fuel to the fire, Connor was later seen following a newly created Instagram account called “romeojulietnyc”. He also tagged the location of his Instagram post as “Verona”, the Italian city where Shakespeare’s tragedy is famously set.
Fans have therefore come to the conclusion that Connor will soon exchange the corridors of Ysgol Truham for Broadway, with the pair starring on stage as star-crossed lovers.
“Wait… there’s no way… [Kit] and Rachel? I’m so cooked,” said one social media user.
A second wrote: “Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler in Romeo and JulietI can’t do this, I can’t breathe.”
And a third warned: “If Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler play Romeo and Juliet, I’ll be the most annoying person on Earth.”
Another simply wrote: “It’s Broadway, baby.”
Connor has previously appeared on stage, in London productions Welcome Home, Captain Fox! a Fanny and Alexanderbefore his Heartstopper fame.
If he’s truly Broadway-ready, he’ll be following in the footsteps of on-screen sweetheart Joe Locke, who recently got his big theater break starring as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd.
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is set to star as Romeo in the upcoming West End production of the play, opposite Black Bad Education actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers. The part has traditionally been played by white actresses.
Hundreds of mostly Black, female and non-binary actors condemned the racial abuse directed at Amewudah-Rivers after her casting announcement was made.
An open letter condemning the discriminatory comments, signed by some as Ghosts star Lolly Adefope, formerly Doctor Who a Freema Country companion, a On Chesil BeachTamara Lawrance said: “The racist and misogynistic abuse directed at such a sweet soul has been too much to bear.”
Romeo and Juliet due to open in London on 11 May and run for 12 weeks.
