Fifteen-year-old Owen Cooper has made history as the youngest actor to win an Emmy for best supporting actor in a limited series, for his role in the Netflix drama Adolescence. The actor was just 14 when the show was filmed, marking his first professional credit.
Cooper played Jamie, a teenage boy arrested for the murder of a female classmate. The series, which earned 140 million views in its first three months on Netflix, was filmed in one continuous take per episode and sparked global conversations about online 'incel' culture and real-world harm.
Accepting the award, Cooper said: 'Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn't expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.' He thanked his family, co-star and co-creator Stephen Graham, adding: 'It may have my name on this award, but it really belongs to the people behind the camera and Stephen and … all the cast.'
Cooper is one of the youngest ever Emmy winners; the record is held by Roxana Zal, who was 14 when she won in 1984. He beat fellow Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters, Javier Bardem, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard and Rob Delaney.
Before the ceremony, Cooper expressed a wish to meet Jake Gyllenhaal, who surprised him on the red carpet with a 'lucky duck' keepsake. Adolescence also won best limited series, best directing, best writing, best actor for Stephen Graham, and best supporting actress for Erin Doherty.
