‘Adolescence' Star Owen Cooper Reveals the Scene So Difficult He Couldn't Bear to Do It
'I was just in my living room and then everyone rung me and said that I'd been nominated,' the 15-year-old British actor told The Hollywood Reporter that morning, having not yet had a chance to watch the news for himself. 'It got spoiled for me…which is a bit annoying.'
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Cooper's Emmy nomination came for his portrayal of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, a schoolboy who develops an extreme aggression toward women that leads to heartbreaking consequences for him and his family, in the Jack Thorne- and Stephen Graham-created Netflix series. Jamie, viewers later learn in episode three's tense standoff between the teen and child psychologist Briony Ariston (portrayed by Erin Doherty), was rejected by the young girl, and because of that interaction and the influence of red-pill podcasts and other misogynistic digital media, develops a strong aggression toward women.
Cooper chatted with THR about his schoolmates' reaction to the series, its takeaways for parents — particularly in the final scene of episode four — and the A-listers he's looking forward to meeting on the Emmys campaign trail.
What's it been like going back to school while promoting the series?
Well, my friends haven't changed, but the first day back [after it premiered] was just madness, really. It's perfectly fine now, but there's still a few idiots in year eight…the kids who are like three years below me, they're just annoying.
What have you heard from your peers about the series and its commentary on young boys and how they're influenced by online culture?
I obviously knew about young lads going out and stabbing people, but I didn't know it to that extent — and the bullying online. I'm very lucky to never have been bullied online and I don't bully anyone online. I've never come across that at my school, not in my year group.… Everyone is aware of knife crime in the U.K., and when Adolescence came out, it hit a lot of homes.
What did preparation look like with this being your first big role?
When [Philip Barantini, the director] said that it was all shot in one shot, I thought he was just talking about one scene or one episode, but he meant all four episodes would be shot in one shot, and I just felt really weird about it. I was so excited about doing [the series], and then when he said that, I was so nervous. As soon as I got the script, I went up in my room, highlighted it all, and then stayed up until about 1 in the morning [rehearsing] it. I didn't want to be that person that messed it up and made us start over from the beginning, which I'm so very lucky never happened. I didn't prepare mentally for the role; I prepared the script.
I was nervous about not being able to pull it off because we filmed episode three first, and I was going through the script, and I was waiting for my lines to end because they were just going on and on and on. I almost cried that I had that many lines. (Laughs.) Mentally, I struggled with it a lot because, obviously, I'm nowhere near Jamie at all. And the bit where I'm standing over Erin saying, 'What was that, what was that?' in rehearsals, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I hated every second of it. It just wasn't in my comfort zone whatsoever, but I got used to it by the end.
When filming ended, did you feel like you were able to let this role go or did Jamie stay with you for a little while?
No, Jamie didn't. I'm glad that he didn't stay with me because he's not the best person. Before 'action' and after 'cut,' I was back to myself. Stephen was telling me that it takes him about five minutes to get back to his normal self, but with me, in episode three when I'm banging on the window and then I leave, as soon as I got out that door, my chaperone was standing there with a bottle of water. In episode one, it was a little bit different because when I'm in the cell and the camera's not on me, I stay in the character all the way from action to cut, but after cut, I'm perfectly fine.
What do you make of the ending of and how things turn out for Jamie and his family?
I was only in a small bit of that, but that's my favorite episode. If I was to watch the show, I would just watch episode four because I love everything about it. The very last scene [when Jamie's dad tucks his teddy bear into his bed], it's so sad, but that's my favorite scene in the whole show. I think Stephen and Christine [Tremarco] and Amélie [Pease] were just amazing. The ending was brilliant and everything that led up to it. I think [the series] was formatted really well, where the first episode was about the arrest, and then the second episode was the impact it had on the school. The third episode was the impact it had on Jamie, and then the fourth episode was the impact it had on the family. I think the fourth episode was most important because it shows parents that they need to talk to their kids; don't make them lonely.
What has your team told you to prepare for during the Emmy campaign?
Well, we only spoke very shortly before this [interview], so I don't really know what to prepare for. I just know that I go in there, meet loads of people, eat loads of food and have a good night, really. I genuinely can't wait to go meet all those people.
Anyone in particular you're hoping to meet?
Jake Gyllenhaal — he's my favorite actor of all time — Pedro Pascal, Gary Oldman. There's loads of names.
What sorts of roles are you interested in taking on after this?
I don't really focus on certain roles that I'd like to do. I just want to work with brilliant actors and directors. People like Tom Holland and the big, famous actors, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal — obviously — Hugh Jackman, those sorts of people.
This story appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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