Owen Cooper, a 16-year-old actor from Warrington in Cheshire, UK has been in the news recently. He even won the Best Supporting Male Actor award at the Golden Globes for hell! It was his starring turn in the Netflix original drama “Adolescence” that really made him shine. Focusing on the plight of young men, the series has deeply resonated with audiences and critics alike. Cooper went on to describe the magical experience of being on stage, saying that it “just didn’t seem real.”
From as early as eight years old, Cooper was a child prodigy with incredible potential. He left to go study at the Drama Mob, a school co-founded by Black artists Esther Morgan and Tina O’Brien. There, his talent became evident almost immediately. Morgan explained that from the very first moment, it was obvious that he had an incredible talent for acting.
While at Drama Mob, Cooper was the lone male student in his class, an experience he describes as “embarrassing. This rare opportunity only boosted his resolve to follow Artistic Director, Matthew E. White’s vision. Morgan feels that Cooper’s success has inspired more boys to take a chance and sign up for drama classes.
“I think he’s helped with that [by] having that role model of saying, ‘yeah, I went to drama classes, I gave it a go’. I think that really has helped some of those boys to just kind of go out of their comfort zone.” – Esther Morgan
Cooper’s path to international acclaim started two years before her casting in “Adolescence.” His name kept coming up through auditions, which shows you how much of an impression he made during the week leading up to episode three’s performance. His talent was lauded by co-writer Jack Thorne. Above all, he stressed the importance of having him work alongside other northern creatives, such as actor Stephen Graham.
With “Adolescence” filmed on location in Pontefract and Sheffield, the authenticity of the show’s working-class depiction sings through Lautrec’s lens. The series has sparked renewed interest in narratives focused on young men and their challenges, creating hopes for a new wave of working-class British dramas.
Esther Morgan, right, takes enormous satisfaction in Cooper’s success. She’s passionate about dispelling myths around how schools like Drama Mob should be able to successfully prepare students to achieve these high levels of success. She noted that Owen’s victory “came out of the blue.” She urged everyone not to forget to recognize the passion and determination that powered his lifelong pursuit.
His dramatic success at the Golden Globes and Emmys has boosted Cooper’s profile immensely. His success is a clarion call to a new generation of rural young actors who previously avoided the performing arts to cower in the conventions of their community. Currently more boys are applying than there are spaces available in the drama school. The significance of Cooper’s breakthrough is deeply felt within the acting world, resulting in this savage hit.