After watching the first episode of Netflix’s hit series Adolescence, I found myself sitting beside my son as he read a book about the solar system. The show’s raw depiction of a young boy’s descent into the most toxic corners of the internet left me shaken. As a parent, I felt vulnerable yet fiercely protective. What could the show’s breakout star, Owen Cooper, teach me about masculinity, creativity, and keeping my own child safe?
A Creative Path Forward
“I think everyone has a creative side,” Cooper says, speaking from his hotel room on a Friday night. “Not many working-class 14-year-olds take drama lessons or step out of their comfort zone like that. But you have to decide: Do you want to blend in, or do you want to do what you love?”
Art, even something as simple as drawing, is subtly presented in the show as an antidote to the pressures of social media. Cooper wholeheartedly agrees. “One hundred percent. If you’re afraid or embarrassed, just know that everyone feels that way. If I hadn’t let myself feel embarrassed, I wouldn’t be here today.”
From the Stage to the Screen
Erin Doherty, who plays psychologist Briony Ariston in Adolescence, has praised Cooper’s performance in episode three as phenomenal. It’s no surprise that he was handpicked from over 500 hopefuls by Stephen Graham, who saw in him a natural talent reminiscent of a young Jodie Comer.
Growing up on a council estate in East London, Cooper’s path to acting wasn’t conventional. When I mention that my husband joined the Anna Scher Theatre not to act but to learn stunts, Cooper lights up. “Ah, I’d love to do stunts,” he says. Could we see him in an action film soon? He laughs. “Probably not like Tom Cruise. I’m scared enough of roller coasters, let alone hanging off a plane. But jumping off a cliff into the water? I could probably do that.”
Since wrapping Adolescence, Cooper has been busy. He starred in the upcoming BBC comedy Film Club alongside Aimee Lou Wood (“probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met”) and is currently filming Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights. “This week alone, I’ve been in four different hotels. This one’s the best—it has Netflix on the TV, and the pillows are really nice.”
A Rising Star
When I tell Cooper that some are comparing him to a young Leonardo DiCaprio, his face lights up. “I’d love Leonardo DiCaprio’s career. And Robert De Niro’s. And Al Pacino’s. Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Godfather—those were before my time. But The Wolf of Wall Street, Django Unchained, Inception, Shutter Island—I don’t think DiCaprio’s ever been in a bad film.”
Filming Adolescence was no small feat. Each hour-long episode was shot in a single take, creating an unrelenting sense of real-time tension. “Honestly, I still question how I pulled it off,” Cooper admits. “I had two weeks to memorize everything. My script was so highlighted that I could barely read the lines.”
The Power of Social Media
Cooper carefully constructed his character, Jamie, understanding that he was an ordinary kid who got caught in a dangerous spiral. “Stephen [Graham] and Jack [Thorne] have done an amazing job showing that Jamie isn’t different from any other kid. It proves that social media’s influence can reach anyone, no matter their background. Jamie is just a normal kid being harassed online, and it sends him down a dark path. He commits an act that changes his life—and his family’s—forever.”
Does Cooper think we need to rethink how young people use phones? “Some kids get their first phone at seven. I got mine at 11 or 12. But high school is when phone addiction really kicks in because it’s always right there in your blazer pocket.”
Though he’s only 15, Cooper offers surprisingly insightful advice for parents. “You can’t watch your kids 24/7,” he says. “So don’t let them have social media too early. Stick to the recommended age limits. And when they do get it, pay attention to what they’re seeing. Because bad things are happening everywhere.”
After our conversation, I head downstairs for fish and chips with my son. “Would you ever want to join a drama club?” I ask. He shakes his head. “Nah,” he says. “I just like reading about space.”
