For most kids, being obsessed with a celebrity is somewhat of a right of passage. Getting noticed by them however is simply somewhat of a dream…for most.
A young superfan of Netflix’s new hit show heart stopper has warmed hearts online, including one belonging to the show’s main star, Joe Locke. That’s one way to make the other schoolkids jealous.
heart stopper has stayed in Netflix’s Top 10 since its release in late April and has grown its already established army of fans, now including mini-obsessive Alexa who has gone viral for her undying love for actor Joe Locke.
The pint-sized internet star has gained over 2 million views after her aunt, Lucy McNerney, shared a montage of her love for the 18-year-old actor. Locke plays Charlie Spring in the Netflix show based on a graphic novel that tells the coming-of-age love story of teens Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring.
“POV: Your 8-year-old niece is scarily obsessed with ‘Heartstopper’ and Joe Locke and won’t leave you alone until you send him a voice note on Instagram DM,” Lucy captioned the video.
“Hi Joe,” Alexa told Locke in the voice note. “What show do you love?” she asked her aunt of her, receiving one response: “heart stopper“
“Is it your favorite show of all time?” she asked, garnering a matter-of-fact “yeah.”
Clips showed her watching TikTok videos of cast interviews in bed before googling “Kit Connor and Joe Locke together 2022” in an attempt to see her favorite actors. Alexa could also be seen adorably singing along to fan edits made of the actor.
With so many views, fans of heart stopper were left touched by the young girl’s adoration for her favorite actor, including Locke himself.
“This may be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen?” Locke commented on the video, gaining over 109,000 likes. “Pls let me duet this,” he asked, in reference to the feature to post a video reply on the app.
In a second video shared by her aunt, Alexa reacted to the news of her video going viral and being seen by a certain actor. “What would you do if Joe Locke commented on it?” she asked. “Scream,” Alexa responded.
“Well he did,” said McNerney, and she did exactly that with a deafening scream of excitement. The news that he’d also DMed her on Instagram was just too much, as she threw herself back on the bed, still screaming of course.
An image at the end showed an ecstatic Alexa pointing to the comment left by Locke on the video.
heart stopper began its days as a webcomic, and has since received more than 52 million views. Creator Alice Oseman self-published a heart stopper graphic novel in 2018 which was eventually picked up by a publisher in 2019. Next year, a fifth volume of the graphic novel is set to release. This year, the live-action make of the novel hit the small screens and has already been greeted with demands for a second season.
The show has amassed a huge fan following, many of whom rushed to note just how adorable Alexa’s reaction to it all was.
“Officially nominating her as president of the fan club,” wrote one user.
“I’m literally crying, this is so cute,” added another.
Newsweek has contacted Lucy McNerney and representatives for Joe Locke for comment.
Netflix and Getty Images