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.
This is like when actors decide to make playful, ‘out there’ decisions. That is your decision.
RM: One of the fans gave Joe a love heart keychain with his face in it. A JoeLocket, if you will. There’s a scene when I open my backpack on stage, and Joe’s face was staring back at me. I lost it.
JL: Ruaridh is a very professional actor but if you make him giggle he’s gone.
RM: Ask anyone.
Shall we talk about the incest now or later?
JL: We still haven’t done anything together as brothers!
RM: We’ve not shot anything together.
JL: He’s in his show, I’m in my show.
“You know I was the face of the Blackpool advert when I was 15?”
ruaridh mollica
Wait, what?!
RM: In real life, we’ve only ever known each other as our Clarkston characters. Comic book wise, we’re twins.
I’d just assumed those months you were away [Ruaridh], that you were both together.
RM: Nope, I was with Paul Bettany and James Spader.
This play is set in the middle of nowhere. Joe, you’re from the Isle of Man; Ruaridh you’re from Edinburgh—a city but smaller than London. You both have to recognise some sense of isolation in the play. How did you do that using where you’re from as inspiration?
JL: I was working from the opposite. Jake is the big East Coast guy. The isolation is the opposite of my character. I’m working in the inverse of what I know and the people that I know who have done that. As I’ve been doing it, I keep seeing TikToks of rich kids doing ‘holidays with mom and dad vs holidays on my own’, and they pretend to be poor. That’s what Jake’s sort of doing here.
RM: I bet they’ve never been to a caravan park!
Have you?
RM: On holiday! We used to go to Pease Bay just outside of Edinburgh.
JL: I used to go to Blackpool.
RM: You know I was the face of the Blackpool advert when I was 15? The ‘Visit Blackpool’ voice.
JL: That was you?
RM: That was me and my twin sister!
JL: He has a real life twin, so weird.
RM: She does not have super powers.
Costco has this quite eery liminal space-ish vibe to it. What’s your liminal space, or where do you go to disassociate?
JL: My toilet! I love a long toilet. I’m not using it for that time but that’s my time.
Yeah, you can shut yourself off from the world. Does your bathroom have windows?
JL: My bathroom does have a window. I have a half blind so I can’t see out of it but I was walking past it and realized you can fully see into it. My neighbors are getting a treat.
RM: I have a really good one now! I’ve started riding a motorcycle. That’s my space now. I didn’t bring it today because I knew we were going to have a pint, but I bring it to work. And you can’t think about anything else because you’re riding a motorbike. You get into a really beautiful meditative state. I read about how motorbikes save the lives of men who can’t talk about their emotions. I really get it!
Are you good drivers?
RM: I’ve done like, 10 hours of lessons.
JL: I love driving. I bought myself a nice Audi and kept it on the Isle of Man for two years, so I brought it here but it has Isle of Man plates so I need to change them. I drove it home last week.
From the Isle of Man?
JL: Yep, I drove it across the sea.
That’s how you spent your Sunday off?
JL: I was gonna go to New York. My best friend Dylan Mulvaney is doing an incredible one woman show. But obviously we’re doing this show and I can’t go, so I looked at flights and decided: If I get an 8am flight from London, I can land at 11am, see her 3pm matinee show and then get back on a plane at 8pm. I’m doing it this weekend. I haven’t told anyone at work apart from [Ruaridh]. The producers might kill me, but I have to see the show. I’m going to have a great six hours in New York. [Editor’s Note: He did this last weekend and made it.]
“I keep missing his mouth when we kiss in the play. My aim is off.”
joe locke
What do you guys bulk buy?
RM: What are those protein shakes we both started using?
JL: Grounded. They do chocolate, they do mint chocolate chip, which is my favorite. You like chocolate, I have lots of chocolate in my fridge—you can have them.
RM: Thank you.
JL: I think chocolate protein shakes taste like cardboard. The mint takes the cardboard taste away.
RM: I love cardboard! I don’t think it tastes like cardboard.
Have you guys picked up on each other’s bad habits?
RM: I’ve practically quit smoking since we started the run. I haven’t had a cigarette in a week. So now I get quite nervous before we go on now.
JL: And it’s always the most random shows. It’ll be a Monday night with no one in.
Any bad habits, Joe?
JL: I keep missing his mouth when we kiss. My aim is off.
What can’t you tell me about the next thing you guys are working on?
RM: Pretty much everything. Vision Quest is next.
JL: I’ve got no job after this, so I can’t tell you!
RM: Actually neither do I.
JL: Things are bubbling.
What are you going to be doing instead?
RM: Hangin’ out.
JL: Holiday.
Are you guys good at dating generally?
RM: I think I’m great on dates! I just like to have fun.
JL: There are two kinds: dates where you can be looking at something long term or short term. Both are fun and have their meaning.
RM: I feel like I don’t change very much. I’m just the same as I always am except I give more compliments!
Who gets the bill?
RM: I will always offer.
JL: I pay for most things in my life so I feel weird not paying.
RM: Growing up, even at the start of our careers, I wasn’t able to get the dinners when I was out with other people who were more ahead in their career. So it’s nice to do that back!
Nice! Any final words?
RM: Hello! You should come and see Clarkston! Get them while they’re hot!
JL: Five weeks left!
RM: Hot and sweaty!
‘Clarkston’ runs at London’s Trafalgar Theatre until November 22. Get your tickets here.