Reverend's Interview: Reverend Himself!

While Reverend has interviewed many filmmakers, actors, writers and other creatives during the past 30 years, I've only been on the other end of the mic, camera or email a handful of times. Therefore, I was delighted when the magazine I've contributed to for the past 14 years recently decided to spotlight me! Here is a link to their October 5th website posting of it: 

30 Years, Countless Stories and One Very Good Plot Twist - Rage Monthly Magazine

And here is the interview as initially conducted via email:

Q: This summer marks 30 years since you became a consistently published critic and entertainment writer. What first drew you to this work, and do you remember the first piece you saw published in print?

REV: Thank you so much for recognizing my anniversary! It has been a journey, to be sure. I actually started out to be a filmmaker. When I was in the 6th grade in Phoenix, Arizona, I discovered my late grandfather’s Super 8 movie camera and made a Superman movie with several of my classmates. In high school and college, I studied film and theater and eventually earned an Associate’s degree in Motion Picture/TV production and my Bachelor’s in Communications. I even won some student filmmaker awards. I was all set to move to LA/Hollywood in 1988 when God called with a different plan.

I entered seminary and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1995. The editor of Arizona’s bi-weekly Catholic newspaper, The Catholic Sun, was aware of my background and asked me if I would start writing movie reviews for them. I agreed to do so in 1996 and my first published review was a favorable one of Disney’s animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It sparked a debate via letters to the editor that ran for three issues over the merits of the movie as well as whether a priest should be reviewing movies in the first place. One reader accused me of doing “a great disservice to Catholic children,” lol. But the controversy made me a local celebrity virtually overnight.

Q: How has your voice as a critic evolved over those three decades, and what do you understand about the job today that you didn’t when you started?

REV: While I wasn’t exactly closeted when I first started reviewing, my departure from the Roman Catholic church 10 years later allowed me to be completely out as an openly gay critic and focus more on movies with overtly LGBTQ content. Becoming more comfortable in this regard was an evolution as well as adapting to the internet, which was pretty new to me. Streaming movies and TV shows is an even more recent development, and trying to keep up with all the new offerings is the biggest challenge for me nowadays. But between my print and online presence today, I have a broader and even more international readership than I ever imagined.

Q: Fourteen of those years have been spent writing for The RAGE Monthly. What have you enjoyed most about covering film for our readers, and are there any RAGE assignments that hold a special place in your memory?

REV: I am so grateful to RAGE for your support over the years. When I first moved to Long Beach in 2006, I was invited to write for the late Blade magazine. I did so for 6 years, but then Blade was sold and other circumstances led me to RAGE in 2012. I certainly feel it has been a happy collaboration, and I appreciate that RAGE has allowed me to not only write about film and TV but theater, opera and music as well. You’ve definitely helped broaden my critical horizons!

Q: You’ve interviewed such notable figures as Alfred Molina, Dakota Fanning, Charles Busch, Bebe Neuwirth, Alex Newell, Bryan Fuller and the late Ray Liotta. Which interview has stayed with you the most, whether because of something the person said or something unexpected that happened?

REV: I’m honored to have interviewed LGBTQ icons like Busch, Newell and Fuller. Out Broadway director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who founded the annual Broadway Bares fundraiser in NYC for people living with HIV/AIDS, was another fave interview who sticks out in my mind. I’ve been privileged to interview the delightful Michael Urie twice. Alfred Molina and I had an unexpectedly funny rapport, and Ray Liotta’s sensitivity impressed me.

I have to say though that the strongest celebrity/artist connection I’ve made over the years was someone I never actually interviewed. Soon after relocating to Southern California, I crossed paths with actor Barry Dennen. Barry was the original Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar on LP, stage and film. He also played the Emcee in the original London production of Cabaret (opposite Judi Dench as Sally Bowles) and memorably voiced the sniveling Chancellor in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal. We often joked about Pontius Pilate and the Priest being friends, lol. He even introduced me to his friends, including the fabulous Jo Anne Worley, as “my priest.” Barry was culturally Jewish. Sadly, he died in 2017. I had the honor of officiating his funeral at Hollywood Forever cemetery.

Q: You serve as editor and chief contributor of Movie Dearest, a website offering reviews and cinematic perspectives for gay and gay-friendly audiences. How did you become involved with the site, and what role has it played in your writing career?

REV: Movie Dearest was developed in 2007 by Kirby Holt, one of my best friends since high school, and he invited me to contribute. Wow, I just realized Movie Dearest is nearly 20 years old! The blog gave me the opportunity to share “Reverend’s Reviews” and interviews I had done for other publications as well as post new ones, notably my theater reviews. Kirby stepped down as editor/administrator a year or so ago and I took over. I am in the early stages of developing a podcast as part of Movie Dearest, so stay tuned!

Q: You were also a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. Why was it important to create a professional organization specifically for LGBTQ+ critics, and how have you seen its influence grow?

REV: In 2008 or 2009, I crossed paths with fellow critic John Griffiths. We got to talking and both thought a group of specifically LGBTQ critics who could give annual film awards a la the African American Film Critics Association and Women Film Critics Circle was needed in Hollywood and beyond. John ran with it and we formed with approximately 30 members. Today, GALECA has over 500! Some studios were wary of us at first and it took a few years to establish relations with them. Today we present our annual Dorian Awards (named after Oscar Wilde’s timeless The Picture of Dorian Grey) not only to movies but to TV shows and Broadway/Off-Broadway productions! Now that I live NYC-adjacent in Connecticut, I’m a member of our Theater Wing and love it.

Q: You have spent 31 years as a priest, 15 years as an openly gay Reformed Catholic bishop and nearly 20 years as a hospice chaplain. How has each of these callings shaped you, and what have they taught you about faith, identity and service to others?

REV: They say the Lord works in mysterious ways and I can testify to this! If you had told me back in the 1980’s that I would one day be any one of these things, I would not have believed you. I had a rocky relationship with God after my parents divorced when I was 9. Things got rockier when I was a teenager figuring out my sexuality. In hindsight, I can see God had faith in me when I didn’t have faith in God. I tried to remain open, however, and that ultimately allowed God to break through.

I am so grateful for all the opportunities and hats—some literal—that God has given me. I affiliated with the Reformed Catholic Church in 2009 and they consecrated me as a bishop a few years later. Hospice ministry in particular has given me so much insight into the human condition and a greater appreciation of life. I pretty much fell into it after moving to Long Beach. Wells House Hospice was still operating there and provided a final home to many people with end stage AIDS and nowhere else to go. They hired me as a chaplain in January 2007 and I have continued to serve in that role with other hospice agencies ever since. I became board certified in 2023.

Q: After 30 years of reviews, interviews and memorable encounters, what still excites you about the work—and is there someone you would still love the opportunity to interview?

REV: It’s been interesting and exciting, but sometimes frustrating, to watch how the film industry and theater-going have changed, especially post-COVID 19. There are definitely more “hoops” one has to jump through on one hand, while Zoom and online opportunities have made artist/celebrity access easier in other ways. I’m happy that seeing movies on the big screen has become popular again, as evidenced by the massive international success of The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day this summer.

I would love to interview Lady Gaga one of these days and discuss her vibrant career as well as her Catholic background. A newer singer-actress I’ve been impressed by is Amber Iman. San Diego audiences may recall her from Lempicka at La Jolla Playhouse a few years ago. I saw her in it on Broadway (for which she was Tony Award nominated) and recently saw her in the world premiere of the musical Black Swan in Boston. She is now appearing in Hadestown on Broadway. I’d love to chat with her one of these days.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share?

REV: One of the most unanticipated developments in my life was that of marriage. I met my now-husband, James, in Long Beach in 2007 when same-sex marriage wasn’t even legal. Neither of us could have predicted then we would one day be legally married and living together in his home state of Connecticut. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last year. Yet another example of God’s unpredictable ways, lol.

The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.

Reverend's Reviews: Penises and Politics

Reverend spent time in New York City during Labor Day weekend, and do I have stories to tell! One man who has more stories to tell, though, is Garry Starr. Also known as Australian actor-comedian Damien Warren-Smith, Garry is currently STARRing in a riotous, mostly naked production at Off-Broadway's Studio Seaview through October 11th.

Warren-Smith is an award-winning writer, producer and performer of "brilliantly stupid physical comedy" (Fest Mag). His third show Classic Penguins swept the Australian festival circuit including the coveted Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It then went on to play the 700-seat Garrick Theatre in London’s West End, and it has now reached NYC.

The concept is unique, to say the least. Garry Starr is apparently a penguin, even sporting flippers initially. He claims that he and his fellow penguins wrote the series of abbreviated paperbacks popular with young people such as myself back in the 1970's-80's. He goes through a collection of approximately 70 of the novels positioned on a nearby bookshelf during the 75-minute performance, but utilizes nakedly physical comedy and audience interaction to illustrate their plots. Some of his antics are borderline brilliant, while others are laughably silly. I don't want to spoil things with more graphic details for prospective attendees.

According to his website, "the basis for Damien’s performance work is to use playfulness to tell stories in a more engaging and impactful way. Inspired by master clown Phillipe Gaulier, the pleasure of entertaining through simple, beautiful idiocy forms the foundations of his work." This certainly seems accurate. Reverend also gives Damien serious props for his full-frontal bravery, dexterity and ability to engage his audience. I look forward to seeing more from him in the future, with or without clothing.

Penises (or more colloquial words to describe male genitalia) and politics have long seemed to go together, at least in the good old US of A. This seems especially true of our current, woebegone state of affairs. Leave it to some women, therefore, to try to make some sense of it.

The late Wendy Wassterstein's An American Daughter, which premiered in 1996, is currently receiving its first revival production at NYC's Pershing Square Signature Center through this Sunday, September 20th. It boasts a fantastic cast of recognizable, award-winning actors who are listed alphabetically in the image below.

Blending comedy with pointed socio-political insight, the play examines the unraveling of a prominent Jewish-American, Democrat-Republican political family as personal missteps, sexual politics, public scrutiny and relentless media attention collide. It is a multi-faceted tale of a family that cannibalizes its own legacy by undermining the potential of a daughter, Lyssa, who carries the family torch. The revival is timely, plot-wise, to say the least.

But it can be argued Wasserstein threw in a little too much, even for the late 90's. Extraneous characters like Lyssa's best friend since high school, who struggles with being Jewish and Black, plus her and her husband's unapologetically gay (to a detrimental degree) longtime friend, not to mention her husband's ambitious former student turned influencer...plus a little something more. Their various interactions expand the play's run time to nearly 3 overlong hours.

The play is involving so long as the focus stays on Lyssa and her moral dilemma--thanks to an arguably minor mistake in her past--as the newly nominated US Surgeon General. And this production looks and sounds great thanks to Mikiko Suzuki Macadams' set, Alan C. Edwards' lighting, and great use of period pop music.

Unfortunately, lead actress Jean Lichty's performance as central character Lyssa is a major deficit. She is frankly too old for the role and often delivers her lines haltingly. Of note, Lichty is the current Executive Director of La Femme Theatre Productions, presenter of this revival. This may have been a bit of nepo casting, and the show suffers as a result.

Reverend's Ratings

Garry Starr Classic Penguins: B+

An American Daughter: C+

The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.

Reverend's Review/Interview: "Bookends" at FilmOut San Diego 2026

Of the many great films that will be screened during the 26^th annual FilmOut San Diego LGBTQ Film Festival this weekend, one stands out as a true crowd-pleaser with virtually universal appeal. It is Bookends, which will make its San Diego premiere with lead cast member Noam Ash present as the fest’s Closing Night film on Sunday, August 23rd at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA).

Opening Night at Balboa Park’s Natural History Museum tonight features Test, an intense drama about a competitive bodybuilder’s gay awakening. Its cast includes Brock Yurich (who also wrote the screenplay), Tony Award nominee Tammy Blanchard, and actor-singer—and Glee alum—Matthew Morrison.

The ever-timely subject of family figures into quite of few of the acclaimed movies to be shown. These also include the Welsh gay romance On the Sea; entertaining documentary Hunky Jesus, about the annual Easter pageant in San Francisco presented by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; Out of the Woods, a relationship drama that boasts such big name cast members as Frances Fisher, Bruce Davison and Mimi Kennedy; Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, Jeffrey Schwartz’s fascinating documentary that revisits the controversy surrounding William Friedkin’s 1980 thriller Cruising; and the sexy Israeli tale A Man Walks Down the Street. Complete film info and fest passes or individual tickets can be found at filmoutsandiego.com.

The mission of FilmOut San Diego, according to the organization’s website, is “to empower LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, and to amplify LGBTQ+ voices in film and media by providing an inclusive space for diverse and impactful storytelling in San Diego. FilmOut enlightens, educates, and entertains through our annual film festival, select film screenings, and special events, where we celebrate the creativity, resilience, and complexity of LGBTQ+ experiences, values, and culture. FilmOut is dedicated to promoting visibility, fostering dialogue, and supporting emerging and established LGBTQ+ filmmakers as we work toward a more inclusive and equitable media environment.”

This writer’s absolute favorite festival entry that I was able to screen in advance is the previously mentioned Bookends. It follows Nate (played by Noam Ash, who also wrote and produced the movie) who is forced to leave his fabulous New York City life behind and move in with his grandparents after a bad breakup. He quickly becomes determined to escape the confines of retirement community life and his grandparents' relentless attempts to “improve” him. But when his Holocaust survivor grandfather, Saul (award-winning veteran actor F. Murray Abraham), shows signs of cognitive decline and his grandmother refuses to acknowledge her husband's early dementia, Nate finds himself torn between his desire to flee, family responsibilities, and an unexpected romance with his grandparents' handsome doctor (Charlie Barnett, who recently appeared in the San Diego stage production of Hedda Gabler).

Noam Ash first gained recognition as creator of the hit web series My Gay Roommate and subsequent TV pilot Boy•Friends, which garnered over 11 million views and received critical acclaim from both Vanity Fair and The New York Times. He guest-starred in HBO Max’s The Other Two, as well as starred in and executive produced The Influencers on Amazon Prime.  Bookends, which was directed by Mike Doyle, serves as Ash’s debut feature film. Of note, it won the Anti-Defamation League’s Stand Up Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this year. Not bad!

The attractive and engaging Ash recently sat down with this writer via Zoom to discuss his latest, undeniably significant achievement…which also might give viewers a renewed appreciation of Nutter Butters.

Hi Noam, and thanks for your time. I just loved the movie. I expected and it kind of starts out like a typical gay rom com, but then as it goes on it becomes more and more poignant, and insightful, and touching, and moving. There are so many layers to it and I loved that.

Thank you so much for saying that. We worked hard on that. Not a lot of people notice this but there is a bit of a visual aid that also happens at the beginning of the movie, that’s setting you up to think you’re going to see something you might have seen before. It’s in 16:9, which is the aspect ratio of a TV show. Then as soon as Nate gets to his grandparents’ we shift into cinematic, so there’s a whole visual thing that happens.

Wow, that’s interesting. I don’t think I noticed that.

It’s very subtle but if you go back and look you’ll see that, when it starts out, it fills your entire screen like a TV show would. And then, right after the title sequence, it expands into a cinematic (widescreen) aspect ratio.

Ok, I might have to watch it again. That’s very cool. It really struck me that Bookends was like a labor of love between you writing it and starring in it, and then the whole cast seems so involved. Talk a bit about what inspired you. I understand there’s some kind of autobiographical elements to it.

You know, my relationship with my grandparents was and is one of the greatest blessings of my life. It’s inspired by a lot of the lessons and wisdom that I learned from them, so it’s autobiographical in that sense. The whole structure of the movie is complete fiction but I did live with my grandparents for a year after a breakup, and it was wonderful. It was honestly one of the best years of my life so far. So I took those conversations and lessons and some of the more poignant experiences, and then wrapped them in this fictional world that we created, this retirement community and all of that.

When you say it’s a labor of love, it really is. The film was born out of the love for my grandparents and I think that is a big part of how we were able to, frankly, punch far above our weight. We are a small indie movie but we have F. Murray Abraham and Caroline Aaron (who plays Nate’s grandmother, Miriam) and Charlie Barnett, all of whom are absolutely brilliant. We didn’t know when we set out that we’d be able to do that. We were fortunate that one of our producers who is also our casting director, Henry Russell Bergstein, sent the script to (F.) Murray and his agents. He did a lot of work to prepare me ahead of time. He was like “Listen, you’re going for the best of the best; sometimes it can take months for them to read and, if they say no, don’t be disappointed because there are plenty of other options.” No, it was like a week later that Murray called and he loved the script and wanted to do it. I think that love is the thing that brought everyone to the table.

The cast is great and I wanted to ask in particular about working with Murray. How was that?

Murray is a master of his craft and also the nicest, most generous human being. I’ll never forget, first day on the set, there’s flutters and nerves from everyone. Everyone from the director to the crew to myself. You’re starting on a new journey that you really have no idea how it’s gonna go. (laughs) And of course, the first scene that I shoot is the very poignant scene with Murray where he has his moment of dementia and he forgets an important detail about my character’s life.

It was quite the scene to start with. (laughs) Murray shows up, donuts in hand for everyone. He introduces himself by first name to every single crew member. Before we start shooting for the day he starts with a joke. He just puts everyone at ease, and he really made us all feel like family. And so that first day there were definitely those jitters—I mean I was like, “Oh my God, we have a legend in our midst”—and that admiration and respect never went away. It only increased but then it also became sort of like this person that I now know and love and feels like family.

That reminds me of one of the lines from the movie that I actually wrote down: “We’re family; we take care of each other.” Which is so simple and obvious on one hand but so profound on the other. When you were writing this or developing it, did you see yourself as the leading man or central character? Were you part of the package deal, so to speak?

(Laughs) I am a writer-actor-producer-creator, depending on the project. I started in YouTube and had a web series called My Gay Roommate that I wrote and starred in. It was back when no one was doing web series (beginning in 2012); it was a very novel thing to do. It started as short, 3-5 minute episodes, expanded to 10 minute episodes, then we sold it and made it into a pilot. But then I’ve also sold other shows that were not vehicles for me, and so for me it really just depends on the story and what serves the story best. (Bookends) was a story that was so personal to me that I knew on a cellular level what I wanted it to feel like and look like and so, yes, I always envisioned myself in this role.

Nice. Your film has been playing various film festivals thus far. What have been some of the responses or reactions you’ve gotten?

It’s been really incredible. The festivals we’ve played have really spanned the gamut. We premiered at Santa Barbara, which is a phenomenal, general audience festival. We then played a whole bunch of LGBT festivals, a lot of Jewish film festivals, and then a lot of international festivals. We played in Amsterdam and Torino, we’ll be playing in Spain later in the season. What’s been really cool for me to see is how every audience sees it differently. A lot of the LGBT film festivals really see it as a rom com and as a romance between Nate and Dr. Green and everything that happens around them. A lot of the more general film festivals really see it as an inter-generational story, with the main drive being Nate’s relationship with his grandparents.

For me as a writer, that’s really cool because when we set out I wanted to make sure that we don’t water the story down; I wanted it to simultaneously be a story of romance, AND an inter-generational story, AND touch on issues of end of life, AND also be really funny and not compromise on any one of those elements. So the response has really been phenomenal and so gratifying to see how widely it’s resonating, and how different people find their own entry points. The older crowds that have watched it very much identify with Miriam, some with Saul. A lot of the younger audiences are like “Oh, my parents are going through this; I am a caretaker” or “I just got out of a relationship that may not have been right for me.” So that’s been really heartening, to just see how differently it’s received from all these different angles.

Charlie Barnett (Dr. Green) is so adorable, and you guys are hot together! How was he to work with?

Incredible. You know, we really lucked out on this production. Every single person was just lovely and really showed up wanting to do this story justice. That goes for everyone from the director, Mike Doyle--who turned the movie into something far beyond what I could have imagined—to our cinematographer, Tari Segal, who was just nominated for an Emmy for Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Charlie was wonderful, and we all just clicked. 

One of the other technical elements I really appreciated in the film is the music score. I loved the score and the songs.

Yes! Dabney Morris, the composer, is absolutely extraordinary. The way he works is also very interesting. He composed live to the edit, so as Mike was editing the film with our editor Dabney would sit in and play live to how they were putting the movie together. The score is all live performance that was captured. He is sensational. 

Wow! What are your long-term plans for the film?

We’re about midway through our festival run. We have a whole slew of them coming up including San Diego. If you would be so kind to include bookendsmovie.com? That gives people a list of all of our upcoming festivals and tickets to them, and also an opportunity to sign up for our mailing list. We are looking tentatively at a February 2027 theatrical release, so our plan is to be in theaters and then it will make its way to the streaming services and VOD and all that good stuff. We’re really, really excited!

The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.

Reverend's Preview: Saying Goodbye to "Heartstopper" on Netflix

Say it isn’t so! Fans must now say “hi” to Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring one last time. Netflix’s hit LGBTQ+ young adult romance series Heartstopper is concluding with a feature film, Heartstopper Forever. This finale event premiered Friday, July 17^th.

For those unaware, Heartstopper–which debuted on Netflix in 2022--follows British high school students Charlie (played by Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), whose friendship at Truham Grammar School develops into a romantic relationship. The more sensitive Charlie initially contends with bullying and the effects of a secret relationship with another male student, while popular, athletic Nick begins to question his sexual orientation. Their story unfolds alongside those of their friends Tao Xu, transgender Elle Argent, and Isaac Henderson, as well as Higgs Girls School students Tara Jones and Darcy Olsson. Their wider friendship group navigates changing relationships, identity and coming out throughout the series.

As these characters (and actors) have grown older, the series has expanded to explore mental health, intimacy and the uncertainties of early adulthood. Storylines include Nick's gradual coming out as bisexual, Charlie's treatment for anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tao and Elle's developing relationship, Isaac's understanding of himself as aromantic and asexual, and Darcy's exploration of their non-binary identity. These have served as timely reflections of what many real-life Gen Z teens and young adults are going through, despite familial and political pressure to conform.

The series finale film was written by Heartstopper creator, executive producer and graphic novelist Alice Oseman (who also reportedly identifies as aromantic and asexual). Lead actors and rising stage & screen stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke are serving as executive producers for the first time. “These characters have meant a lot to us over the years,” Connor says. “As EPs, it feels like we can really say goodbye to them in a way that feels the most right. It is bittersweet, but it is also a really nice way of ending it.” Locke agrees, adding “This show has meant so much to me in my life. I’ll always carry that with me.”

Heartstopper Forever, which was directed by gay filmmaker Wash Westmoreland, picks up after Season 3’s swoon-inducing conclusion that saw Nick, Charlie, and many of their friends take their relationships to a new level. “The movie will be an exploration of time, memory, love, pain, the changing of the seasons, endings and beginnings, and the core element of Heartstopper: the ordinary magic of our everyday lives,” Oseman says. It will also reportedly ask the question "Can first loves really last forever?”

The finale—which creator-writer Oseman calls “dramatic and exciting”—will wrap up Nick and Charlie’s journey. At the end of Season 3, the young same-sex couple was seemingly inseparable. But with Nick preparing to leave for university and Charlie finding new independence at school, the reality of a long-distance relationship begins to weigh on them. Doubts take hold, and their relationship faces its biggest challenge yet. Meanwhile, Nick and Charlie’s friends are also navigating the ups and downs of love and friendship, confronting the bittersweet challenges of growing up and moving on.

Unfortunately, the finale movie’s producers and cast members weren’t available for interviews before Reverend's deadline for the July issue of Rage Magazine, but Netflix made an interview with Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman available. Here are some excerpts:

Nick, Charlie, and all their friends’ stories are about to come to an end onscreen. What do you hope to accomplish with the movie? 

Alice Oseman: On a basic level, of course, I want the movie to be a beautiful and emotional send-off for the Heartstopper story — celebrating what Heartstopper means to people, while offering a chance to say goodbye to our beloved characters, and many hints of what’s to come in the characters’ future lives. 

On a slightly deeper level, I think this movie will explore what makes love survive, or what elevates it, or deepens it. At 18 and 17, Nick and Charlie are hurtling towards their adult lives. Many teenage relationships don’t survive that pivotal moment of change. Are Nick and Charlie a forever love? If they are, why? I want the movie to capture this transitional moment for them as a couple — from teens to adults, from teen romance to forever love, from past to future. And in doing so, get to the heart of what teenage love can become as adolescence becomes a memory, and what teenage love can mean for people in the overall picture of their lives. An exploration of time, memory, love, pain, the changing of the seasons, endings and beginnings, and the core element of Heartstopper: the ordinary magic of our everyday lives.

What does it mean to you to see all the positive fan responses to the news? 

Oseman: The excitement and joy from Heartstopper fans is such a huge part of why we are still able to tell this story, years later. I’m so grateful to have such a passionate, supportive audience. I always have so much fun interacting with the Heartstopper community. I was pretty nervous about this announcement, but I shouldn’t have been, because the response has been amazing! I’ve always felt so much warmth and positivity from the Heartstopper community, and I’m so, so thankful for that.

What do you have to say to fans who are surprised Heartstopper is ending with a movie instead of another season? 

I totally understand if fans are a little apprehensive. It’s a big change from what we know. It’s something new and unknown, and yes, the runtime will be less than a TV season. Even I needed some time to process and come to terms with the change. But once I began to see the entire vision, I knew it would be something even more beautiful than a regular season could achieve. We are feeling very ambitious about what is possible in a movie format. With no need for end-of-episode cliffhangers or a new twist every episode, every part of Heartstopper can be elevated to a higher quality to create something memorable, sophisticated, and atmospheric.

The last time we saw the characters, they were all taking new steps in their relationships and lives, from exploring physical intimacy to university prep. What can you say is ahead for them as they mature? 

Oseman: The most pressing issue for Nick and Charlie, as we know from the end of Season 3, is that Nick will soon be leaving for university, effectively making Nick and Charlie a long-distance couple. For a teenage relationship, this is a pretty huge hurdle to overcome. Each of them has some conflicting feelings about this development. Nick isn’t sure who he is without Charlie, and Charlie is nervous about being left behind. They have some work to do — both on their relationship and individually. 

Heartstopper’s other protagonists are facing similar conundrums about their futures. Because it’s not just the relationships that are being pulled in different directions, but the friendships too. I don’t want to tease too much more yet. 

The movie will be based on your upcoming sixth and final Heartstopper graphic novel. What can you tell us about that yet-to-be-released book? 

Oseman: When I started planning this final book, I told myself I was allowed to include anything and everything I’d always wanted to explore with these characters. I’m proud to say that’s what I’ve been doing. Among many things, it explores Charlie finding a new sense of confidence and independence, and healing from some of his old demons. Meanwhile, Nick has a bit of a crisis about his future, influenced by memories of his past.

Are there any characters or storylines you want to tease for now?

Oseman: I’ve been uploading the Heartstopper Volume 6 comics free-to-read on their usual webcomic platform, if you’d rather not wait for the book publication. So, if you’re looking for hints about what might happen in the movie, I’d recommend checking those out. Of course, there will be some tweaks for the movie, as there always are in adaptations…but I’ll leave those a surprise for now.

Oseman concludes the interview with this: “I am completely overjoyed that we will get to tell the end of the Heartstopper story. I’m so grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this possible and to the incredible fans of Heartstopper for your patience and passion. I cannot wait to bring this story to a magical conclusion.”

All is now being revealed on Netflix.

The Most Reverend Chris Carpenter is editor of Movie Dearest and chief contributor. He has been reviewing movies and theatre since 1996 and also contributes to Rage Monthly magazine (ragemonthly.com). He is a founding member and former Vice President of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Critics (galeca.com) and currently serves as a nominating/voting member of its New York-based Theatre Wing. Reverend Carpenter has been an ordained minister since 1995.

Reverend & GALECA Announce Our 2026 Theater Award Nominations

‘SCHMIGADOON!’ Leads LGBTQ Critics’ 4th Annual Dorian Theater Awards Nominations

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ Theater Wing members (who include Reverend) announced their favorites in New York theater for the fourth annual Dorian Theater Awards on May 13th. These awards celebrate the best in Broadway and Off-Broadway for the 2025-2026 season. Like GALECA’s annual Dorian film and TV awards, the group's stage honors celebrate both mainstream and LGBTQ+-themed productions. “From the radical reimaging of our world in Prince Faggot, to the tender themes of self-discovery in Schmigadoon!, it has been a wonderful season of queer storytelling on New York stages,” says GALECA’s theater wing co-chair Sam Eckmann. “In addition to the new LGBTQ stories that we fell in love with, we were proud to see previous Dorian Theater Award winners Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Titaníque find new, fabulous life on Broadway. Our stories are connecting with wider audiences and enduring on stages both large and small.” Schmigadoon! earned nine nominations, the most nominations of any production. The new Broadway musical is adapted from the Apple TV series of the same name, which pays loving homage to golden age musicals. In addition to bids for Outstanding Broadway Musical and Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production, show creator Cinco Paul is a double nominee in the Dorian Theater Awards’ new categories: Outstanding Original Score of a Broadway Production and Outstanding Book of a Broadway Musical. Performers Sara Chase, Max Clayton and Ana Gasteyer are also nominated. Trailing just behind Schmigadoon! is the vampire saga The Lost Boys. The epic staging earned eight nominations. This includes a nomination in the new Outstanding Design of a Broadway Production category, as well as three nominations in the Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical category, for actors Shoshana Bean, Ali Louis Bourzgui and Benjamin Pajak. The Lost Boys director Michael Arden is a double nominee in the group’s two special categories: LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season and LGBTQ Theater Trailblazer. The other LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season nominees include Obie-winning playwright Shayok Misha Chowdhury, The Rocky Horror Show star Luke Evans, trailblazing costume design Qween Jean, Titaníque co-creator and actor Constantine Rousouli, and Ragtime leading man Brandon Uranowitz. The nominees for the group’s career achievement award, LGBTQ Theater Trailblazer, include Arden; ballroom icon, Junior LaBeija, currently making his Broadway debut in Cats: The Jellicle Ball; three-time Tony Award winner Nathan Lane; director and actor Joe Mantello; and the  irreverent veteran director Sam Pinkleton. In the group’s Off-Broadway categories, Prince Faggot dominated. The radical new play from Jordan Tannahill earned six nominations, with the unique distinction of being nominated in every category for which it was eligible. This includes Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production, Outstanding Writing for an Off-Broadway Production for Tannahill, Outstanding Design of an Off-Broadway Production, and performance nominations for actors John McCrea, K. Todd Freeman and David Greenspan.  Winners of the 2026 Dorian Theater Awards will be announced on Monday, June 1, 2026.     Full list of 2026 Dorian Theater Awards nominees: Outstanding Broadway Musical The Lost Boys Schmigadoon! Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) Outstanding Broadway Play The Balusters Giant Little Bear Ridge Road Punch Outstanding Broadway Musical Revival Chess Ragtime Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Outstanding Broadway Play Revival Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Becky Shaw Fallen Angels Marjorie Prime Oedipus Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production Little Bear Ridge Road  Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Schmigadoon! The Lost Boys Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical Sara Chase, Schmigadoon! Kristin Chenoweth, The Queen of Versailles Nicholas Christopher, Chess Luke Evans, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Joshua Henry, Ragtime Stephanie Hsu, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Caissie Levy, Ragtime Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime Outstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Play Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels Carrie Coon, Bug  Will Harrison, Punch Nathan Lane, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman John Lithgow, Giant  Lesley Manville, Oedipus Laurie Metcalf, Little Bear Ridge Road Kelli O'Hara, Fallen Angels Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing Mark Strong, Oedipus Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical  Melissa Barrera, Titaníque Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys Max Clayton, Schmigadoon! Rachel Dratch, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon! Leiomy, Cats: The Jellicle Ball  Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime Benjamin Pajak, The Lost Boys Layton Williams, Titaníque Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Play Christopher Abbott, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Marylouise Burke, The Balusters Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw Linda Emond, Becky Shaw Jessica Hecht, Dog Day Afternoon  Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Cynthia Nixon, Marjorie Prime Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone June Squibb, Marjorie Prime Outstanding Broadway Ensemble Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman The Balusters  Ragtime  Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Schmigadoon! Outstanding Original Score of a Broadway Production Death of a Salesman by Caroline Shaw The Lost Boys by The Rescues Schmigadoon! by Cinco Paul The Queen of Versailles by Stephen Schwartz Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) by Jim Barne & Kit Buchan Outstanding Book of a Broadway Musical The Lost Boys by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch Schmigadoon! by Cinco Paul Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) by Jim Barne & Kit Buchan Outstanding Script of a Broadway Play The Balusters by David Lindsay-Abaire Giant by Mark Rosenblatt Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter. Punch by James Graham Outstanding Design of a Broadway Production Bug Cats: The Jellicle Ball The Lost Boys Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Schmigadoon! The Broadway Showstopper Award  To a standout production number or scene Cats: The Jellicle Ball - “Memory” (“Tempress” Chasity Moore) Cats: The Jellicle Ball - “Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat” (Emma Sofia) Cats: The Jellicle Ball - “Songs of the Jellicles and the Jellicle Ball” (company) Chess - “Anthem” (Nicholas Christopher) Titaníque - “River Deep, Mountain High” (Layton Williams) Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical Beau: The Musical The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse Mexodus Saturday Church The Seat of Our Pants Outstanding Off-Broadway Play Are the Bennett Girls Ok? Bowl EP Cold War Choir Practice Meet the Cartozians Prince Faggot  Outstanding Off-Broadway Revival Bat Boy: The Musical Heathers, The Musical Oratorio for Living Things Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park) The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production Beau: The Musical Becoming Eve Bowl EP Prince Faggot  Saturday Church ta-da! Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Production Bryson Battle, Saturday Church Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Well, I’ll Let You Go Alana Raquel Bowers, Cold War Choir Practice Will Brill, Kramer/Fauci  Tommy Dorfman, Becoming Eve David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water Marin Ireland, Queens John McCrea, Prince Faggot Matt Rodin, Beau: The Musical Outstanding Featured Performance in an Off-Broadway Production Caroline Aaron, The Reservoir Sierra Boggess, Prosperous Fools  Justin Cooley, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee K. Todd Freeman, Prince Faggot  J. Harrison Ghee, Saturday Church David Greenspan, Prince Faggot  Judy Kuhn, The Baker’s Wife McKenzie Kurtz, Heathers, The Musical Casey Likes, Heathers, The Musical Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. Jasmine Amy Rogers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee David Turner, Mother Russia Outstanding Writing for an Off-Broadway Production Becoming Eve by Emil Weinstein Bowl EP by Nazareth Hassan Caroline by Preston Max Allen Cold War Choir Practice by Ro Reddick Practice by Nazareth Hassan Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill Outstanding Design for an Off-Broadway Production  Beau: The Musical Bowl EP Cold War Choir Practice Masquerade Prince Faggot LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season Michael Arden  Shayok Misha Chowdhury Luke Evans Qween Jean Constantine Rousouli Brandon Uranowitz LGBTQ Theater Trailblazer For a lifelong commitment to creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equit Michael Arden Junior LaBeija Nathan Lane Joe Mantello Sam Pinkleton