Stephen Graham says he is being stopped on the street to talk about Adolescence
Actor Stephen Graham said the Adolescence creators have "done our bit" as he reflected on the amount of people who have stopped him in the street since the hit Netflix drama came out.
The four-part series which explores misogyny among teenage boys has prompted a global conversation about online safety.
This Is England star Graham, 51, who co-created the drama with Jack Thorne, plays Eddie Miller, who watches armed police burst into his home to arrest his 13-year-old son Jamie, played by newcomer Owen Cooper.
Speaking to British GQ, he said: "The other day we were in New York and this woman came up to me.
"She was about 75. I'm talking Fifth Avenue wealthy, in a beautiful cashmere hoodie and a Moncler gilet so expensive that it doesn't even have the badge on, you know what I mean?
"She looked at me and, I swear to God, her eyes welled up. She said, 'I just want to give you a hug'. And her husband went, 'Can I shake your hand? We have sons and we have grandchildren'."
He continued: "Then we've gone back to the hotel where I'm staying and some fella's pushing a bin round the corner. And he's looked up and he's gone, 'Oh my God. Your programme, man, I just want to say I think it's fantastic. We watched it, the whole family'.
"And then he went about his business. And I just thought, 'Wow, if I'm in New York, and we've reached this cross-section of people, then s*** – this thing really has exploded, hasn't it?'"
He added: "I hoped it (the show) would create conversation.
"The amount of stuff me and (his wife) Hannah (Walters) are getting sent, and the amount of people I'm seeing on the streets who were saying that has happened between them and their children, is huge.
"To me, that's objective complete. We've done our bit. Now you go and crack on."
He also told the publication that his and Walters' production company, Matriarch Productions, "paid to put people up" on the production team "because they wouldn't have been able to afford it".
He said: "By going, 'Look, we know how much you want it, we'll cover the rent' - that gives that person the opportunity to save money, and then on the next job, they can pay the rent."
In March, creators Thorne and Graham spoke to UK prime minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street about the issues raised in the drama.
The series took months of preparation and rehearsals so that each episode could be filmed in one continuous shot, which was praised by viewers of the show.
Graham will be speaking at the GQ heroes conference, taking place at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire, from 2 to 4 July.
The heroes issue of British GQ is available via digital download and on news-stands on 10 June.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Jake Paul leaks ‘s***-talking' private messages with Anthony Joshua goading him about being KO'd as trash talk ramps up
JAKE PAUL revealed he is goading Anthony Joshua about being knocked out - as their "s*** talking" ramps up behind the scenes. Paul audaciously called out the two-time heavyweight champion on his podcast earlier this year - 6 Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua having been goading each other via DMs 6 AJ also shared his phone call with Jake Paul earlier in the year 6 Jake Paul insists they're still friends despite the trash-talk 6 Daniel Dubois KO'd Joshua in September Credit: Getty It did not take long for AJ to quite literally call the prankster-turned-prizefighter's bluff by phoning him up - but Paul And He said: "It was all nice, we've been cordial. He DMd me today like saying "LOL" to one of my training clips and then I sent him a "LOL" of of him getting knocked out. "And so I guess like we're kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua. READ MORE IN BOXING "I think this type of stuff is funny and he's a great guy and I think just a fight between us would be awesome and I do believe I can win." Joshua, 35, is yet to fight since being KO'd by Daniel Dubois, 27, at Wembley in September Promoter Eddie Hearn It comes after he stepped up to heavyweight in November to face Mike Tyson - who controversially made a comeback aged 58. Most read in Boxing 6 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Still over 100 MILLION tuned in to watch Paul's eight-round points win on Netflix - And Paul - who gorged on pasta, steaks and potatoes to bulk up - admitted the heavyweight jump was "brutal". Jake Paul reveals 'hefty' six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ The 28-year-old added: "It was just too much and my body wasn't made for it and even when I got into the ring I just felt too fat. "So cruiserweight is definitely the perfect weight for me." Paul will come down from 16st 2lb to the 200lb cruiserweight limit of 14st 4lb to face Chavez in California. It followed after Canelo Alvarez, 34, pulled out of a shock deal to fight Paul in Las Vegas on May 3 - instead signing with Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh. Canelo - who beat Chavez on points in 2017 - regained his undisputed super-middleweight titles with victory over William Scull in May. And now he defends the 168lb thrown in a But he said: "Chavez and I have been going back and forth for a long time and he's always been a great opponent on the list of someone that I wanted to fight. "And now it made perfect sense to go up against him as a former world champion and just continuing to further my resume and get more time under the lights." Paul also revealed he is in talks to fight current cruiserweight champions Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, 33, and Badou Jack, 41. And with Gervonta Davis, 30, also lined up for an exhibition bout - Paul says he is boxing's most desired man. He joked: I'm like like Megan Fox from Transformers movie like everyone wants me! So there's not enough time to do it all and it could make sense. Look, it might. "It might line up but at the end of the day, there's 100 people that want to fight me. I got Canelo, Gervonta, Anthony Joshua, Badou, Zurdo, Tommy Fury, KSI, the list keeps on going. "It's just about what makes sense and we'll see when the negotiations come but I would for sure entertain a fight with him." 6 Jake Paul faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next Credit: Reuters
Extra.ie
10 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Irish star Andrew Scott lands role in major Netflix show
Andrew Scott has been announced as part of the final casting for Lena Dunham's upcoming Netflix comedy series Too Much , set to premiere on July 10. Brought by the creator of Girls and the producers of Love Actually , the series is also set to star Megan Stalter, Will Sharpe, Richard E. Grant, Leo Reich, and more, as well as newly announced cast members Jennifer Saunders, Kit Harington, Rita Ora and Jessica Alba. Netflix have also released the final trailer for the series, available to watch below: Too Much tells the story of Jessica, a New York workaholic in her mid-thirties, reeling from a broken relationship that she thought would last forever and slowly isolating everyone she knows. When every block in New York tells a story of her own bad behaviour, the official description reads, the only solution is to take a job in London, where she plans to live a life of solitude like a Bronte sister. It continues: But when she meets Felix a walking series of red flags she finds that their unusual connection is impossible to ignore, even as it creates more problems than it solves. Now they have to ask themselves: do Americans and Brits actually speak the same language? Created by Lena Dunham and Luis Felber, and directed by Lena Dunham, Too Much premieres on Netflix on July 10.
RTÉ News
12 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Netflix to remake Pride and Prejudice – why Jane Austen novels make perfect period adaptations
Announcing its new six-part adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Netflix quoted screenwriter Dolly Alderton as saying: "Once in a generation, a group of people get to retell this wonderful story." In the 250th anniversary of her birth, it would seem that every new generation wants its own adaptation of Jane Austen's perennial classic, writes Shelley Galpin. It's 30 years since Colin Firth's Darcy decided that the only remedy for unrequited love was a dip in a muddy lake. And 20 since Matthew Macfadyen's Darcy strode across a chilly field at sunrise to declare that Keira Knightley's Lizzie had "bewitched me body and soul". And, erm, almost 10 years since Lily James's Lizzie fell for Darcy while simultaneously battling zombie hordes in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Netflix's (zombie-free) adaptation has, at time of writing, announced that Emma Corrin will play Lizzie opposite Jack Lowden's Darcy, with Olivia Colman set to play Lizzie's mother, Mrs Bennet. So with another retelling of the iconic love story on the horizon, what makes it such a attractive novel to adapt for screen? The clue is partly in the name. The characters are deeply flawed; Darcy is proud, Lizzie is prejudiced against him after she feels slighted at their first meeting. Both need to learn to "get over themselves" to achieve their happy ending. This makes for a highly satisfying character arc. It is difficult to imagine the love story between Lizzie's "oh-so-perfect" sister Jane and the amiable Mr Bingley having quite the same draw. It is satisfying when these two destined-to-be-together characters finally find their happy ending. But the scheming of Bingley's snobbish sister and the misguided loyalty of Darcy that interrupt the progress of their budding romance do not present the same dramatic tension as Lizzie and Darcy's own internal battles. In one of the most iconic lines, upon learning of an error of judgement, Austen's Lizzie ruefully acknowledges that, "Till this moment I never knew myself". It is this internalised process of self-reflection and growth that makes for such compelling and relatable characterisation. While creating flawed characters, though, Austen reserved her most acidic barbs for the more powerful members of society. Recently, White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood called out her cruel portrayal in a Saturday Night Live skit, wisely drawing attention to the difference between punching up at the more powerful and punching down at easy targets with less social capital. Austen's work is defined by her keen sense of class hierarchies, and she skilfully maintains a warmly humorous tone by gently mocking the human foibles of her characters, while never treating them with contempt. However, in the same way that the hit show Succession delighted audiences with the opportunity to recoil at the vulgarities of the rich, in Pride and Prejudice Austen punches up by reserving her most mocking behaviour for the privileged. Rich matriarch Lady Catherine de Bourgh delights in lecturing others about the correct way to behave, only to turn up at the Bennet household in the middle of the night with the sole intention of berating Lizzie. And the ridiculous Mr Collins, heir apparent to the Bennet family home, appears almost delusional in his belief that he is God's gift to the Bennet sisters. These supporting roles have given a range of great actors the chance to lean into Austen's social satire by emphasising the abhorrent nature of the characters, and by extension, revealing the stifling nature of the social system that the characters exist within. Society isn't the only thing stifling the characters however. Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of Pride and Prejudice is its situating of Lizzie within the best and the worst of what family has to offer, allowing for a colourful cast of supporting characters. Embarrassing family members such as the meddling mother and the no-filter youngest sister have a universal relatability that can be easily moulded to contemporary sensibilities. Mrs Bennet in particular, played for laughs with exaggerated hysteria by Alison Steadman for the BBC in 1995, was reimagined in a rather more sympathetic light in Joe Wright's 2005 film adaptation, when the very real perils facing her and her daughters upon the death of her husband were more sensitively explored. With the highly acclaimed Olivia Colman – so skilled at conveying emotional complexities – now cast in the role, it is likely that this more nuanced take on the character will continue, particularly in the light of more recent high-profile explorations of gendered power dynamics. Family life is not all bad for Lizzie though. In Jane Bennet, Austen creates the perfect older sister. Not only does she provide adaptations with an ideal subplot through her romance with Bingley, but the intimacy between the sisters also allows for useful scenes in which the characters discuss their innermost feelings. Through their private conversations, the sisters confide in each other, while also lying to each other and themselves about their true feelings, as the audience holds its breath through the highs and lows and waits for the inevitable happy ending to arrive. Because, ultimately, it's all about the love story. While many literary critics have observed the fallacy of ending a romance with marriage, when this is really just the beginning, the fairytale structure of Austen's novel, with its movement through burgeoning emotions, frustration and despair, arriving finally at self-knowledge and love, has proven a winning formula for centuries. Lizzie and Darcy will keep finding each other, generation after generation. Wet shirts and zombies, optional.
