Agatha All Along Episode 6 premieres tonight and Joe Locke is ecstatic to talk about all the fallout from last week’s shocking reveal. ComicBook had the chance to ask about keeping the secret of Billy Maximoff all this time. It’s been a couple of years since the Heartstopper star found himself cast in the MCU. He’s dealt with a long road to get here, and his big moment knocked most viewers’ socks off. The 21-year-old is no stranger to stardom at this point, but keeping these Marvel secrets can be tough for even the most seasoned of veterans. (Hello to Mark Ruffalo, if he’s reading this.) During our conversation, Locke talked about finally seeing himself in a crown, setting up a Billy group chat with WandaVision‘s Billy Julian Hilliard, and what the prospective Young Avenger wants at the end of The Witches’ Road.
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Our new Billy was in a great mood to talk to me after the events of Episode 5. The young actor is all energy early in the afternoon and, after commiserating about messy rooms, we dig into Agatha All Along’s big secret finally being out in the open. Namely, he’s playing Wiccan in the MCU, or at least Billy for right now. Fans have been frothing at the mouth trying to untangle this mystery for weeks now. Locke has been deflecting and demuring whenever asked about his stint as “Teen.” Marvel Studios and everyone in the production have tried their best to keep this secret, but we can finally talk about it.
Keeping the Billy Secret
When I ask the Marvel star about an Instagram post he made the morning after Episode 5 aired, about keeping this secret for two years, he corrects me and says it’s been longer than that really. Clearly, we’ve all been waiting for Billy to make a grand re-entrance into the MCU. Locke exclaimed, “More than two years, two years and a month!” When I joke and ask who’s counting, the young magic-user smirks, “Me.”
The Heartstopper phenom admits that it’s a strange feeling to finally be able to talk about his MCU character. “It feels really weird,” Locke admits. “It feels like every time I keep talking about it, I feel like I’m going to get tackled by the ‘Marvel Police.’ I don’t know. It’s been drilled so much into me to not talk about it. It’s amazing to be able to talk about it, but it also feels like I’m breaking all the rules.”
“I think that is one of the best lines ever. It’s also the way that Kathryn plays it. Her mouth in that scene?… Every time I watch it, I don’t watch myself, but I watch her.”
All of that is completely understandable. Marvel Studios is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to preserving these secrets. To have the young star walking around with that massive secret for more than two calendar years is a lot of pressure. But, Locke wears it all well. With every “Teen” mention in those interviews before the premiere, he never let it slip. You could probably say Locke is a natural at keeping those details close to the vest.
As we’re laughing about how bizarre the situation is, Locke confirms that we’re allowed to call his character Billy and we both let out an audible cheer. He smiles, “I got scared there for a second!” But, it’s all clear right now as we switch gears to Kathryn Hahn’s dramatic moment where Agatha Harkness reveals that she knows who Billy’s mother is. Locke has nothing but praise for his costar’s delightful command in such a dramatic flashpoint for the show.
“I think that is one of the best lines ever. It’s also the way that Kathryn plays it. Her mouth in that scene? The way it did [Locke imitates the movement]… Every time I watch it, I don’t watch myself, but I watch her,” he admitted. “She’s just in many different emotions and deciding whether she’s going to say it or not. She’s just incredible and I think it’s such a great way to reveal it.”
You Should See Me in a Crown
When talking about Episode 5, you also have to ask about the moment where Billy gets his crown. I wondered if the headpiece was practical. After all, it’s fashioned a lot like Scarlet Witch’s diadem. To our surprise, it’s actually real. But, everyone had to be super careful handling the prop. Locke explained, “It’s actually 3D-printed, and they only made four of them. I think two of them snapped in half in transit because they were so fragile. So, when I was wearing it, it was very much like, ‘Don’t fall over!’ They talk about the superhero power, and wearing it, you feel super powerful.”
“It’s actually 3D-printed, and they only made four of them. I think two of them snapped in half in transit because they were so fragile. So, when I was wearing it, it was very much like, ‘Don’t fall over!’ They talk about the superhero power, and wearing it, you feel super powerful.” – Joe Locke on his crown
“Like, every time I took it off, they would have to re-do my hair. So, I might as well just keep it on all day. I just walk around feeling really cool and powerful,” Locke recalled
Of course, the topic of the coven in limbo had to be addressed, too. It sure seems like they’re dead at the end of Episode 5. But, who would Billy walk the road with? Locke chuckles, “You’ll just have to find out. Maybe the rest of the series is just me walking the road by myself?” I joke about skipping down the road like in The Wizard of Oz and he corrects me, “Evilly!”
The World Needs the Billy Group Chat & Wanda Back
In an effort to start the Billy group chat, I ask if Locke has spoken to Julian Hilliard yet. (Hilliard played Wanda’s son in WandaVision, for those who need a refresher.) The Agatha star replied, “No, I haven’t. I would love to! Yeah, we should. We should have the Billy group chat!”
Maybe the MCU’s resident Billys can trade tips on blue, glowing hands. Locke tells me that his magic is actually practical in that scene from Episode 5. He began, “I don’t actually think that was CGI, I think they use some sort of electrical, practical thing. And then I just put it on, I might be wrong? That was definitely what they were planning on doing. They were definitely planning on using two electrodes and then placing that in, rather than using CGI.”
“I’m yet to meet her. Obviously, I would love to.”
– Joe Locke on Elizabeth Olsen
As the man bringing Wanda Maximoff’s son to life, the Scarlet Witch couldn’t be absent from this conversation. Locke says that he still hasn’t spoken to Elizabeth Olsen, but there were some pictures sent from the set. “I still haven’t,” the 21-year-old says when I mention meeting the Avengers star. “I think, when we did that day, Jac [Schaeffer] and Mary [Livanos] sent pictures of me in the crown. But, I’m yet to meet her. Obviously, I would love to.” So, social media will just have to wait for the eventual picture of those two together. That will probably melt the Internet.
Alice’s Sad Ending in Agatha All Along
Lost in all of this shuffle is the death of Alice Wu-Gulliver in Episode 5. Ali Ahn’s character forfeited her life trying to save Agatha. For Locke, that scene has significance alongside the loss of a new friend in the story they’re trying to tell.
“I always saw that scene as the last time we see Teen in his true, full innocence before he goes and tries to kill three of his friends,” Locke joked. “The last time you see your fully innocent Teen until the reveal of ‘He’s been lying this whole time!’ And, I think it’s that, that pushes him over the edge. I think he has a very optimistic sense of people and, maybe wrongly so?”
He continued, “Alice, as a character, is the one that I think Teen bonds to the most and the quickest. She lets him in before she lets anyone else in. He feels so betrayed by Agatha that she could do that to Alice. Then, this debate if she could control it, or meant to, or not. But, that’s something that is for the audience to decide. He certainly thinks that she could have stopped it.”
“It’s quite an emotional scene to film, seeing your friend on the floor, actually looking dead, because again, practical makeup,” Locke points out. “Yeah, it was quite emotional, in a good way. It was fun, not weird, a sadistic fun way.”
What About Mephisto? Young Avengers? Tell Us!
The “Sigil” binding Billy’s identity still hangs as one of the biggest mysteries left and Locke isn’t letting that one out of the bag just yet. “You’ll have to find out this week!” But, he does have some small admissions that he can make. “We definitely know that he went on the road looking for power, which is a lie. He’s got power. So, what was he looking for? Why does he want to go on the road? Why has he been lying to Agatha this whole time?” When I joke about aggregators getting a hold of that, Locke quips, “That’s the fun to work out before things get rolling!”
Billy’s costume in Episode 5 was a major hint at his identity from the moment the fans saw his ’80s getup. Red and blue with a headband just screams Wiccan for the people who love the comics. But, we’re not exactly there yet. Still, the star got a kick out of that reference. “I feel like the biggest [hint] for me is Episode 5, the costume. That outfit, and then there’s quite a few others. I think people were expecting this to be the big reveal of the season. But, strap yourselves in because there’s a lot more to come.”
One thing fans hope is still coming is the arrival of Mephisto. Locke is very amused at the prospect of the villain showing his face. “That was great. I feel like that was a very fan-service/wider MCU thing that I have no idea about. But, it definitely is fun to bring to life, as a fan of Marvel,” he admitted. “To be like, ‘Oh, we get to say his name!’ That means that maybe…like, who knows what that means for the future of that character?”
When it comes to the future, the ground has been shifting lately over at Marvel Studios. With Billy’s arrival, a lot of fans expect the Young Avengers to announce their presence in the near future. But, for Locke, he’s not letting anything slip.
“I don’t know. I mean, I obviously would love for that to happen because I love working with Marvel and I love Billy as a character and would love to carry on playing him. But, I don’t know anything about it,” the actor deadpans. “If that’s their plan, that’s great and I absolutely love that. But, they don’t tell me anything. Like, that’s not even me keeping anything. I’d love to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing all this!’ But, who knows? You know, it’s very early days.”
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