'Adolescence's Owen Cooper Could Be Youngest Emmy Nominee in Set Category

Teen star Owen Cooper could be about to make Emmy history for his breakthrough role as Jamie Miller in the British crime drama Adolescence. The series was met with critical acclaim for its writing, directing, and the raw, moving performances from its cast when it premiered on Netflix in March and now Variety reports that Cooper, who is 15 years old, will be submitted for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, making him the youngest ever actor to be nominated in this category in the award show’s 76-year history.

Cooper is reportedly an early frontrunner in this year’s Supporting Actor in a Limited Series race at the Emmys, and if he wins, he will surpass current record-holder Scott Jacoby (who was 16 years of age when he beat out the competition for his role in the 1973 TV movie That Certain Summer) as the youngest actor to take home a statuette in this respective category. What’s even more impressive is that Cooper had no prior on-screen acting experience before his starring role as 13-year-old Jamie Miller in the hit Netflix series Adolescence.

‘Adolescence’s Owen Cooper Is the Next Tom Holland, And I Love It

Owen Cooper achieved more in ‘Adolescence’ as a teenager than some actors manage in their whole careers.

Adolescence certainly gave Cooper a chance to show off his acting chops, since his character is the main antagonist of the four-episode miniseries, co-created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Cooper portrays a 13-year-old boy who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a female classmate called Katie Leonard (Emilia Holliday) at his school. His powerhouse performance as Miller was lauded by critics and audiences throughout the series, but particularly after his scene-stealing turn in Episode 3’s one-shot therapy sequence.

Four of Cooper’s Adolescence co-stars have also been submitted for the 77th Emmys, with Stephen Graham another early favorite in the lead actor race for his career-defining performance as Jamie’s father, Eddie Miller. Other supporting categories will see submissions for Ashley Walters as DI Luke Bascombe, Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, and Christine Tremarco as Jamie’s mother, Manda Miller. The official nominations will be announced in July.

Owen Cooper Has Received High Praise From His Industry Colleagues

Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in Adolescence — Netflix

Cooper has received high praise from his industry colleagues following his very first acting job. Graham, who not only conceived Adolescence but also starred in the series, dubbed Cooper “the next Robert De Niro” in a recent interview. He recalled what it was like meeting and working with the young actor during an appearance on The One Show in March, explaining, “He came into the workshop and he smashed it. He was absolutely brilliant. You see a rare talent like this once in a blue moon. It’s the talent of a generation.”

Cooper will next be seen on screens in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, portraying a younger version of Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff – the literary leading man and tortured antihero of Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic gothic romance novel. Elordi admitted to finding his teen co-star “intimidating,” calling him a “tremendous actor” and “a rock star.” It will be a while before audiences see him in action as the movie is not scheduled to be released in theaters until February next year, but by the sounds of it, it will be one to watch.

Source: Variety