Kit Connor, who broke out in the role of a gentle high school jock on Alice Oseman’s “Heartstopper,” is all grown up—and heading off to war. Fresh from his acclaimed Broadway debut in Sam Gold’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Connor is starring in Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s harrowing military drama “Warfare” (in theaters April 11), which is based on Mendoza’s real-life experience as a Navy SEAL in Iraq. Here, the actor discusses the intense physical preparation he underwent for the film and a mistake that he’ll never repeat.
What did you appreciate most about collaborating with Ray and Alex?
Ray was in charge of the characters and of us. Because he knew these guys we were playing, it was incredibly personal to him, and he was good at giving us everything we needed. And Alex, being a veteran filmmaker and storyteller, was there to craft the movie around it. The two of them worked brilliantly together; they felt like a team we could rely on.
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What’s the most memorable thing about the boot camp–style prep you did for the film?
It was probably when we all did Navy SEAL pushups—or burpees—which is an exhausting and difficult exercise. We would do 100 of them at a time as a group every other day. It was exhausting, but also kind of amazing. We did them in the park or in the training center; we would do them everywhere. It was just a great bonding [experience].
“Warfare” Credit: Murray Close
You made your film debut in Christopher Smith’s “Get Santa” when you were 10 years old. Did you have any formative experiences on that set?
My parents got me this Samsung phone. It was my first phone. I was probably a bit young, but they were like, “You’re going to be filming in Leeds, so you should be able to call us.” And I remember the phone went off in the middle of this sweet scene between me and Rafe Spall. It was the most embarrassing, terrifying moment. I thought I would get in such trouble; it was awful. And my phone has never, ever gone off since. I’ve made sure of it. So it was formative in its own way.
What’s your worst audition horror story?
I was auditioning for this film in which I had to sing. It was down to the last two people—me and this other guy—and we did the audition almost together. We had to sing this song; they set us up with a full mic and headphones. He was a singer, so he really did his thing and was rocking out and everything. I was already terrified because I’m really not much of a singer. I start going for it, and he stops me and goes, “Hey, by the way, you should really take one of your headphones off your ears like this so you can hear better.” I felt like such an idiot. I was like, Oh, fuck, there’s no way I’m gonna get this role; he’s made a fool out of me. But luckily, I got the role, so it’s not quite a horror story. But in the moment, it was awful.
What advice would you give your younger self?
As a child actor, I always felt this desperate need to be older; I always wanted people to see me as a grown-up. I still have that to a certain degree. I hope that the people I work with respect me and see me as an equal, but I also think that there’s a real joy and value in embracing your youth. I feel incredibly lucky: I just turned 21, and I’m promoting this wonderful movie. So I would say to just be able to embrace the youth.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This story originally appeared in the Apr. 10 issue of Backstage Magazine.