The star of Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ appeared on This Morning today. Owen Cooper has been a huge talking point due to his incredible acting abilities in his first acting role.
Owen and co-star Faye Marsay spoke to Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard to reflect on the success of the series which has sparked important conversations and rose up the ranking on Netflix’s’ most watched shows.
Taking on his first role at the age of 15, Owen told Ben: “It’s gone well so far. I’ve not had any bad things to say about me so I’m doing well so far.”
Adolescence has built on its huge success, topping Netflix’s English TV series list this week with 42 million views. Over the weekend Adolescence made British TV history, becoming the first streaming show ever to become the most-watched programme of the week.
The drama has captivated audiences and critics since it hit Netflix earlier this month, with each episode filmed in a single continuous take. The show has been tipped for a number of awards.
The drama follows a family after their 13-year-old son is accused of murder. The four-part series featuring Stephen Graham highlights the aftermath of teenage crime as the family search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
The This Morning hosts asked the actor who plays the teenager accused of murder, Jamie Millar, how he is coping with his new-found fame and whether people have been approaching him.
Owen said: “No, it’s not been that bad, when I’ve been working I’ve been in Yorkshire so I’ve not had that many which is good.”
Sharing what his next career step is, the 15-year-old said he will be starring as a young Heathcliff in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights. He further added that he sees his co-star on that project, Margot Robbie “all the time” and “speaks to her all the time” but he doesn’t really have scenes with her.
Faye Marsay was full of praise for her co-star. The actress plays the role of DS Misha on the show.
Speaking about Owen she told the hosts it was “amazing” to watch the actor “blow up” like this. Faye said to Owen “We’re very lucky aren’t we mate?”
Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, the show has launched the career of Owen, who said he had a different career in mind in his younger years.
Cat asked: “Initially, you wanted to be a footballer didn’t you? Then you got into acting about two years ago, how did it happen, what happened?”
Owen said a drama class he attended in Manchester swayed his decision, and the eventual role in Adolescence making him certain.