What was Stephen Graham’s Unexpected on-set tactic?
What was Stephen Graham’s Unexpected on-set tactic?(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Owen Cooper, the rising star of Netflix’s gripping drama Adolescence, has captivated audiences with a performance so raw and powerful that industry insiders are already whispering about Emmy gold.

At just 15, and with nothing but a weekly drama class on his resume, he delivered a performance that seasoned actors would envy. The four-episode miniseries, which debuted earlier this month, has already drawn critical acclaim, with its intense one-take cinematography and a story that lingers long after the credits roll.

The Role Of Jamie Miller

In Adolescence, Cooper steps into the shoes of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, a boy arrested for the murder of a schoolgirl. His world shatters as his parents, played by Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco, grapple with the devastating fallout.

Graham, also a co-creator of the series alongside Jack Thorne, had a unique way of helping the young actor dive into the mind of his troubled character.

Stephen Graham’s Unique Approach

In an interview with Variety, the youngster discussed working with Graham and said the actor was “always checking in” with him.

He also explained how Graham would take an unconventional approach to help get him into his character’s frame of mind. “There was a time in episode one, 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,” Cooper said.

He added, “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.”

Director Philip Barantini’s Praise

Director Philip Barantini was in awe. He explained, “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 realize it! He’s so blasé.”

Graham echoed the sentiment, revealing that the role demanded someone unpolished, someone who hadn’t yet been molded by industry conventions. And Cooper was that perfect, untapped talent.

He told The Independent, “It’s a huge undertaking, but we cast Owen, who had no experience, he’d done a couple of little theatre workshops, and he was just starting to do little bits in school.”

Impressed by his instinctive brilliance, Graham personally connected him with his own agent, a career-defining moment that soon landed Cooper a role in Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

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