Who is Owen Cooper? Meet the star of Netflix's Adolescence

The newcomer plays a child who is accused of the murder of a young girl – which is a challenge in and of itself. But it is also Cooper's first acting gig, and the series is also shot in one take, which makes his performance all the more remarkable.

"He just absolutely blew me away," director Philip Barantini told Variety. "Actors train for years and years and still can’t really master what Owen has mastered, which is basically just being in the moment and listening and being truthful.

"l’ve obviously worked with a lot of actors in my time as an actor and as a director and a lot of actors can’t do what he can do. He doesn’t even realise it! He’s so blasé.

"Every day, we’d do the tape, which would take an hour, and everyone at the monitors would be crying their eyes out. And we had a psychologist there to make sure that Owen was OK. But she couldn’t find him. She’d be like, where’s Owen? And he’d be off playing swing ball. I’d ask, mate, are you OK? And he’d be like, yeah, hang on, I’m winning here!"

Read on for everything you need know about Owen Cooper.

Who is Owen Cooper?

Cooper is an up-and-coming actor who stars in Netflix drama Adolescence. He plays Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for murdering a girl from his school.

His father Eddie is played by Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco plays his mum Manda.

How old is Owen Cooper?

Cooper is 15 years old, but he filmed the series when he was just 14.

What has Owen Cooper previously been in?

Adolescence is not only Cooper's first ever on-screen role, it is also his first acting job, which many will find hard to believe given the performance he delivers.

"I only really wanted to start acting a couple of years ago," he told Variety. "It's not been long. I grew up wanting to be a footballer. I don’t know what it was that made me want to do it, but I just wanted to do it.

"And then I went to lessons and enjoyed it. And then I got into a little agency thing, and then I got a self-tape request for Adolescence. And everything came from that, really."

He's set to play young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

What has Owen Cooper said about starring in Adolescence?

Speaking to Variety about what it was like watching himself in the show, Cooper said it was "weird" but "also amazing".

"Everyone’s been saying such nice things [about my performance]," he added. "I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really watch it like I’m watching a normal show. I just watch it because I’m in it. So I don’t know. But everyone who has spoken to me has said it’s amazing. So yeah, I’ve heard positive things."

He also spoke about what it was like working with Graham.

"Obviously, Stephen was always checking in on me, but there was a time in episode 1, when it was just us two, with no camera, in the police cell, and he scruffed me up and said, 'You’re never going to see your mum again, you’re never going to see your dad again.' And was going on and on," said Cooper.

"Before then I’d been frustrated because I hadn’t been getting emotional. But after that point I was emotional in every take. So that helped me a lot. He was amazing to work with."

Is Owen Cooper on Instagram?

Yes, the actor can be found at the handle @owencooper.

He has 902 followers at the time of writing, but that number is undoubtedly set to grow.

Is Owen Cooper on X?

He doesn't appear to have an X account.

Adolescence is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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