Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old star from Warrington, Cheshire, has revealed that despite his meteoric rise to fame and an Emmy Award, his school life remains refreshingly normal, with teachers still telling him off and friends who "take the mick".
From Warrington to Worldwide Acclaim
The teenager shot to international prominence earlier this year for his gripping portrayal of teenage murder suspect Jamie Miller in the hard-hitting Netflix limited series Adolescence. His performance alongside veteran actor Stephen Graham earned him widespread critical praise and made him the youngest male ever to win a primetime Emmy Award for best supporting actor in a limited series.
This week, the show's success was further cemented at the 2025 Rose d'Or Awards, where it won multiple accolades including in the Drama and Emerging Talent categories. Owen himself was honoured as the Emerging Talent of the Year for his breakthrough role.
Keeping Fame in Perspective for GCSEs
Despite the flurry of awards and a string of new work offers, Owen is determined to keep his feet on the ground. He is continuing his studies and is set to sit his GCSE exams next summer. In a candid interview for the winter 2025 issue of Dazed magazine, the actor opened up about how his newfound celebrity has—and hasn't—changed his daily life.
"My friends aren’t really bothered," Owen explained. "They messaged me saying 'well done', but they don’t really care. The teachers cared, obviously – they were going mad about it. But my friends don’t really look at stuff about me on the internet."
He expressed relief at this dynamic, admitting he had feared his relationships might change. "I’m actually glad that they don’t – when I was filming the show, I did think, 'What if everyone changes? What if all my friends change?' But I still get shouted at by the teachers in school. I still get the mick taken out of me. It’s all good. I’m glad they haven’t changed."
A Show That Resonated Globally
Owen confessed that the global reaction to Adolescence took the entire cast and crew by surprise. The series, described by Rose d'Or judges as "an extraordinary, sector-changing achievement" and "simply the show of the year," even prompted a response from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called it a "really hard watch" with his own teenage children.
"When the show came out, I had no idea what to expect," Owen said. "I thought that people might watch it in the UK, but it’s obviously resonated with people and travelled globally. But when we were on set I don’t think anyone expected it to blow up in the way that it did. So when there was talk about the Emmys, that was mad. No one knew that was going to happen."
His success has established him as a rising star on both sides of the Atlantic, culminating in a feature and cover shoot for the New York Times Magazine, which highlighted him among the biggest pop culture moments of 2025. Owen has since returned to screens in the new BBC show Film Club, starring alongside The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood.
The winter 2025 issue of Dazed, featuring the full interview, is on sale internationally from December 5.
