A 16-year-old from Warrington has become the youngest actor to win a Golden Globe, taking home the award for best supporting male actor for his role in Netflix's drama Adolescence. Owen Cooper, who had only two years of drama training before landing the part, said the experience 'did not feel real' as he stood on stage in front of Hollywood's elite.
Adolescence, which explores themes of male toxicity and 'incel' culture, was one of the biggest winners at the ceremony, taking four awards. It follows its success at the Emmys, where it won six gongs, including one for Cooper. The show has been praised for its gritty, northern British storytelling and has broken UK viewing records.
Esther Morgan, co-founder of the Drama Mob where Cooper trained, said his passion was evident from the start. 'You could tell he definitely wanted it. He wasn't messing around when it came to listening, taking direction and learning his lines,' she said. Cooper initially faced several rounds of auditions before impressing casting director Shaheen Baig.
Cooper's success is already inspiring more boys to take up drama, according to Morgan, who noted a 'huge drop-off' in male attendance after primary school. 'Since Owen going on to be so successful, we have had more boys coming to drama,' she said. 'I think he's helped with that [by] having that role model.'
Co-writer Jack Thorne said the show could usher in a new wave of working-class British dramas, which have traditionally struggled to find international audiences. 'I know from trying to sell stuff I've made abroad before that accents and British 'issues' were not seen as having an audience abroad,' he said. 'But who knows?'
