Owen Cooper has become the youngest male actor to receive a nomination for a prestigious Emmy award in his category. The 15-year-old actor shot to fame on Adolescence, which landed on Netflix in March this year. The four-part drama became a real talking point due to its strong social commentary on knife crime in the UK.
The show made British TV history, becoming the first streaming show ever to become the most-watched programme of the week it was released. Stephen Graham stars as Eddie Miller, a dad whose life is turned upside down when his son, Jamie, is accused of murder. The 51-year-old from Kirkby co-created the show with Jack Thorne and said he was inspired by real life tragic events.
Adolescence is not a true story, but the plot is based on a harsh reality in the UK. The show was produced by Matriarch Productions, which Stephen set up with his wife Hannah. The show, which was filmed in one continuous take, was also produced by Warp Films and Plan B Entertainment.
The series has seen huge success since it aired and won universal critical acclaim. It has now gained award recognition, as it has been nominated for a staggering 13 Emmys.
Owen Cooper’s powerful portrayal of the young Jamie Cooper has earned him a nomination for best Supporting Actor, despite Adolescence being his first professional acting job.
The four meaningful episodes tell the story from Jamie’s perspective, including a particularly memorable scene alongside Erin Doherty, who plays Jamie’s psychologist.
The actor from Warrington, who is a dedicated Liverpool FC fan, has made history in his debut role, becoming the youngest actor to be nominated for an Emmy in the category for Supporting Actor in a limited series. If he wins the award, Cooper would become the youngest male winner of any acting Emmy award in history.
Owen grew up in Orford, a suburb of Warrington. He’s the youngest of three, with two elder siblings, Ollie, aged 20, and Connor, 30. He spent two years at The Drama Mob theatre group before landing the memorable Netflix role.
Filming for the series took place during the summer of 2024, and though he was 14 years old at the time, he has since celebrated his 15th birthday.
He had initially set his sights on playing Jamie’s friend Ryan, so discovering he was cast as the lead left him surprised. Discussing the balance between filming and studying, Owen explained: “We shot some of it during the summer but not all of it.
“So some of the time I was on my summer break from school. And other times I’d have a tutor on set and I had a great relationship with the teacher so that was fine. In between shots, I’d go straight to work with the tutor.”
Set against the backdrop of Yorkshire, Owen said: “The fact that the story was set in the North and it’s a Northern story was the thing that I found most relatable, because I’m also from the North.”
His family were supportive during filming and his parents took turns accompanying him on set. He shared: “They would swap over sometimes because at the time my mum had an operation so she had to stay home for most of episode three.
“So my dad would come. And he’d have cans (headphones) on in the back watching it and I’d always go up to him afterwards. So, yeah, my dad would be there most of the time.”
Adolescence director Philip Barantini recently shared a heartfelt post as he is “lost for words” at the overwhelming success of the series. He wrote: “I’m lost for words…Unbelievable. To the whole Adolescence family – we’re Emmy-nominated x13!”
Taking to the comments, one fan said: “Congratulations! Such an amazing series!” Another wrote: “HUGE Congratulations to you all. Wow x/” A third added: “So deserved.”
Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters have also issued their own “proud” announcement. Their message said: “13 Emmy Nominations…13!!!! for our Adolescence family…. So proud of each and every single person that was part of the journey. Thank you; we love and appreciate you all. Hannah & Stephen.”
Stephen has been nominated for Lead Actor in a limited series for his incredible performance. The recognition is the first time the Scouser has been nominated for an Emmy in his glittering career.