Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 15, on newfound fame, smartphone use and his standout audition

LONDON – Since Adolescence premiered on Netflix on March 13, the drama about a 13-year-old boy accused of killing a schoolgirl after seeing misogynistic content online has soared in popularity.

It has also made a star out of Owen Cooper for his portrayal of the teenager, Jamie Miller, in his acting debut.

Even so, Cooper, 15, had to recently return to high school in northern England.

In a video interview, the English actor said his first day back was “a bit mad”, with lots of attention from younger children. The next day was better, he said, with only “a bit of bother”.

As Cooper discussed the complexity of his newfound fame, Stephen Graham, the 51-year-old English actor who plays Jamie’s father, sat up, alert. “What kind of ‘bother’?” Graham said, sounding like a concerned parent.

Cooper explained that it was not anything serious, just children coming up to him, shouting his name, then rushing off – to which Graham replied with relief and a smile: “Ah, just some silly bollocks.”

Critics have highlighted that sort of bond between the co-stars’ characters as one of the reasons for the show’s success, although it has also drawn praise for stirring debate about whether children’s access to social media should be restricted or smartphones banned from schools.

In the interview, Cooper and Graham, who was also a creator of the series, discussed that political impact, Cooper’s star turn and the possibility of an Adolescence sequel – although Cooper is already involved in other projects, including having just wrapped up filming for English director-actress Emerald Fennell’s new version of Wuthering Heights (2026), in which he plays the young Heathcliff.

Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Owen, your character is bullied via Instagram and it is implied he spends time watching misogynistic content on his smartphone. As you are 15, how is your own smartphone use?

Cooper: I’ve never gone through that experience with my phone or with my mates, but Instagram has, I think, a 16 (age limit for immediately publicly viewable profiles) now. I’m on Instagram and I’m not 16, but I think the age restrictions should be followed. I don’t think 10- and 11-year-olds should be on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

How have you both felt about the political debate the show’s stirred?

Graham: Everything that’s happened from it is fantastic. It’s gathered its own momentum. But that’s not the reason I made it. A young girl was stabbed to death in Liverpool. That’s where the show began in my head. Then a young trans girl was lured into a park and she was stabbed to death.

It really hurt my heart as a father and as a human being. And I thought, “Maybe this is something we could shine a light upon.” That’s the reason I wanted to be an actor in the first place: to make dramas that made me think.

The team auditioned 500 boys for the role of Jamie. Stephen, can you remember Owen’s audition tape and what made him stand out?

Graham: Owen’s tape was really good. And when he walked in the room, he had a little something about him: not cocky, no kind of arrogance, just a presence. And we had a little read, and then were about to do an improvisation, and I just looked at him and said, “From now on, I’m your dad and you are my son, okay?” And he looked me right in the eyes, and something happened from that moment.

We did this really lovely little improvisation. He got a little emotional. I got a little emotional. And he left the room, and I turned around and said to Phil (Barantini, the show’s director): “That’s it. That kid was like Robert De Niro.”

A lot of attention is focused on the third episode, in which Jamie is interviewed by a psychologist (Erin Doherty) and tries to both charm and intimidate her. It’s an intense hour. How did you go about preparing for it?

Cooper: I wasn’t really comfortable with the script at first, but Stephen, Phil and all the cast made me feel like I was in a safe space. Before every take, I just thought, “I’m never, ever going to be able to do this again, so I’m just going to put my all into it.”

Graham: Owen is a million miles away from Jamie. And, with respect, it’s very difficult sometimes to be able to push yourself into places, to be able to find emotions and be angry at things you yourself would not ever be angry at. Yet you push as an actor, and I watched Owen do that. That’s why I think Episode 3 is a master class. The performance is so nuanced, detailed, intricate and precise for such a young mind.

Each of the show’s episodes is filmed in a single uninterrupted shot lasting up to an hour. You’ve used that technique before, Stephen, in the chef movie Boiling Point (2021). Why did you use it here?

Graham: (American actor) Brad Pitt (one of Adolescence’s executive producers) said, “I want to make a TV show the same as Boiling Point.” It was then about what we were going to make it about.

Did you enjoy the single shots, Owen?

Cooper: Yeah, because I didn’t know any better than doing a ‘one shot’! So, to do that was – I mean, I’d love to do a ‘one shot’ again. I’d do a ‘one shot’ for the rest of my life if I could. I hate repeating stuff.

Graham: But Owen, you never will again, lad. That’s it. These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, I promise you.

The show has been so popular. Will there be a sequel?

Graham: It’s a stand-alone thing, you know what I mean? I’m not saying there will be, but if there’s a possibility of a Series 2, we would follow something completely different. NYTIMES