WONDERLAND MAGAZINE – As the rising stars prepare for the final stretch of their West End debut in Samuel D. Hunter’s Clarkston, they sit down with Wonderland for tea – and a few cuddles.
Joe Locke and Ruaridh Mollica are making a cup of tea in the middle of an afternoon of rehearsals in the West End. For the past three months, the two rising stars have been living in each other’s pockets – with co-star Sophie Melville (The Way, Iphigenia in Splott), they have been bringing to the evenings of Trafalgar Theatre a new production of director Jack Serio and writer Samuel D. Hunter’s Clarkston. But rather than just a brilliant creative partnership that shines on stage night after night – and continues to reaffirm both actors’ places as some of the most exciting new voices in UK cinema and theatre – they’ve found, within the cast, a space for deep, meaningful bonds. And, as they’ll tell you, an almost ridiculous amount of love.
In Clarkston, Locke plays Jake, a young gay man journeying west to the Pacific in a bid to rediscover himself after being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Following the trail of his distant ancestor William Clark through the explorers’ journals, Jake’s travels stall when the illness begins to take hold. It’s in the small town of Clarkston, Washington – named after the very man whose footsteps he’s tracing – that he meets Mollica’s Chris, a local working night shifts at Costco. What unfolds is a story of identity-searching, familial struggles (Melville plays Chris’s mother, Trisha, in a brilliant portrayal of the cyclical hardships of overcoming addiction), and the quiet, transformative power of love. And that, it seems, carries offstage too.
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Category: Interviews
Cat Burns & Joe Locke Argue Over The Biggest Debates in LADbible’s Agree To Disagree
Cat Burns and Joe Locke go head-to-head in LADbible’s Agree to Disagree, tackling some of the internet’s most divisive debates. From crust-cutting controversy to whether socks in bed are ever acceptable, nothing’s off limits. They share their takes on bed-making habits, the correct way to eat ice cream, and the all-important plane etiquette question: should you stand up the second it lands? Plus, find out who thinks they could take on a horse-sized duck.
I Third Wheeled Joe Locke and Ruaridh Mollica at the Pub
Hello everyone, Joe and Ruaridh Mollica made an interview for I-D Magazine with 3 beautiful pictures added in the gallery.
Photoshoots and Portraits > 2025 > Session 014 | I-D Magazine
I-D MAGAZINE – The ‘Clarkston’ stars are just friends, who kiss on stage and also play brothers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s complicated.
Joe Locke and Ruaridh Mollica would prefer to meet after their show if that’s okay. 9:30pm in London, in a pub close to the theater they’re performing at eight times a week. They’ve gotten used to each other, having kissed, hugged, argued as their characters in Clarkston, the moving American play about a boy with a degenerative illness (Locke’s Jake) showing up to work at a Costco and meeting another boy (Mollica’s Chris) who tries his best to understand him. You might have assumed they’ve already met: Both appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—Locke in Agatha All Along, Mollica in the forthcoming Vision Quest. (They also, as was announced last week, play two characters known as twin brothers in the comic books.) But they haven’t crossed paths on an MCU set quite yet. Any further information is tightly under wraps.
You know Locke from his time on Heartstopper, the teen Netflix hit that has led hundreds, if not thousands, of people thanking him for his service to the queer community. (I counted five picture requests during the interviews for this profile. And indeed, someone stops by to gush about the performance tonight.) Mollica’s comparatively new, having had his breakout moment in last year’s queer drama Sebastian. We tipped him as one of our stars of 2025. We’re glad he’s still as excellent an actor and person as we remember.
Locke is on a pint of Camden Hells; Mollica drinks Guinness. They share a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. For 25 minutes, we talked about everything and nothing: from Locke subconsciously flashing his neighbors, to bulk buying protein shakes, to what they can’t say about the next thing they’re both doing.
Douglas Greenwood: Are you having fun?
Ruaridh Mollica: We’re having a lot of fun!Joe Locke: Today, before scene nine, I had to run onto the stage and Sophie [Melville, who plays Mollica’s character’s mother] had to hold the door for me, and I farted as I ran past. It made her laugh.
RM: No! You cheeky bugger.
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Joe Locke – ‘At 20, I Felt Like I Was Already 35’
Joe opens up about the challenges of guarding his privacy while navigating fame, learning to embrace his youth and discovering the value of failure in both life and career. From Broadway and Marvel to his West End debut in Clarkston, the Netflix actor shares what it means to grow up in the spotlight, how being raised by strong women shaped him – and why believing in yourself can be the hardest lesson of all.
Agatha All Along star Joe Locke on learning from Kathryn Hahn, Heartstopper movie with Kit Connor
Agatha All Along star Joe Locke on learning from Kathryn Hahn, musical theater goals, and the Heartstopper movie with Kit Connor. Joe discusses his audition for the Marvel series, his most difficult scenes, and producing the upcoming ‘Heartstopper’ film. Gold Derby’s Jaclyn Ben-Porat hosts this webchat.