Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old star of Netflix school murder drama Adolescence, today became the favourite to win a record-breaking Emmy Award for his performance.
The Warrington schoolboy would be the youngest-ever male winner in the 76-year history of the ‘TV Oscars‘ and the award would be for the first scenes he ever filmed in his first acting job.
Co-stars and industry experts heaped praise on the football-mad youngster, with one comparing his potential achievement to scoring the winner in the World Cup final on your debut.
In Hollywood, experts at awards-tracking website Gold Derby said they rated Cooper as ‘a lock-in’ and ‘guaranteed’ to win the award, even though nominations are yet to be announced.
But the modest teenager appeared to be taking the adulation in his stride, saying he would ‘just take it and move on’ if he bagged the gong.
MailOnline revealed last month that Cooper would be entered in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as murder suspect Jamie Miller in the show that has become one of Netflix’s most-watched series ever.
Experts hailed the ‘genius move’ of placing Cooper in Supporting, as opposed to Best Actor, which they said would massively boost his chances of winning.
And today that was proven correct as Gold Derby shortened his odds to be 9/2 joint favourite, alongside long-time market leader, Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story star Javier Bardem.
Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old star of Netflix school murder drama Adolescence, today became the favourite to win an historic Emmy Award for his performance
Speaking to Gold Derby recently, Cooper said he hoped he would keep his feet on the ground if awards recognition came his way.
‘If that was to be the case, it’s definitely a massive achievement and it’s the next step in my life,’ he said. ‘I’ll just take it and move on.
‘It’s one of them things that will forever be there and I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.’
And he deflected the praise back to the team who surrounded him on the show.
‘It’s all rooted from Stephen [Graham], Hannah [Walters, the producer], Phil [Barantini, the director], Jo Johnson the producer, it’s all from them. I couldn’t have done it without them,’ he said.
Graham, who was also on the video interview, beamed as Cooper spoke.
He said: ‘The thing I’m proudest of [from making the show] is the fact we’ve created this opportunity for that wonderful young man to have a proper career within this industry. That makes me so proud.’
He said Cooper had ‘pure talent’, and added: ‘Talent is one thing but you have to harness it and turn it into action and that’s exactly what he did.
‘His talent is, and I’ve said this before, personally I think it’s a generational talent that he has. Also, and this can’t be overlooked, he’s a very intelligent young man. Bright as a button. Sharp, listens beautifully. He wants to be better. He wants to learn, he’s like a sponge.
‘And he comes with this wonderful energy, this willingness to learn about the craft. Because he’s not affected in any way, he’ll just be completely natural and in the flow.’
Graham added: ‘His ability is second-to-none, because he’s a million miles away from Jamie. Owen himself, the top lad, is a million miles away from Jamie. He completely transforms.’
The Emmy nominations will be announced in July with the ceremony taking place in LA in September.
Experts at Gold Derby discussed Cooper’s growing chances of success in the Best Supporting Actor category on their Awards Magnet podcast.
The site’s Christopher Rosen said: ‘It’s a great story. I definitely have Owen winning. I think without a doubt Owen will win this category. I think moving him to Supporting basically assured him winning an Emmy.’
Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in gripping episode three of Adolescence
Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, left, and Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez ,in a scene from ‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story’
A behind-the-scenes image from the filming of Adolescence showing actors (from left) Faye Marsay, Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Mark Stanley
Adolescence’s cast and crew, from left Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, director Phil Barantini, Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, co-writer/creator Jack Thorne and Christine Tremarco. All are in Emmy contention
His colleague Joyce Eng agreed. She said: ‘I think everyone will be like ‘now he’s a lock-in’ for Supporting.’
She added: ‘A lot of people are predicting this too but I’m sure they have Adolescence winning [best] Series, Lead Actor, and both Supportings and probably Directing and Writing. So just missing Actress because [all the female roles are supporting ones].’
Graham, who co-wrote the show and starred as Jamie’s father Eddie Miller, continues to rise up the odds to be crowned Best Actor himself.
This morning he was 5/1 second-favourite behind 17/10-shot Colin Farrell for The Penguin.
And Erin Doherty, who starred alongside Cooper as psychologist Briony Ariston in the iconic third episode, is a strong contender for Best Supporting Actress, at 11/2 second-favourite.
Christine Tremarco, who played Jamie’s mother Manda, is also in that market at 22/1, making her a strong contender to be nominated.
It’s the same situation for DI Bascombe star Ashley Walters, a 20/1 chance in the same Best Supporting Actor category as Cooper.
But it’s a win for the 15-year-old that would capture the headlines.
Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, a 30-year veteran of the showbiz industry who manages stars including Dame Joan Collins, Ross Kemp and Vinnie Jones, branded Cooper ‘an exceptional talent’ who is ‘destined for greatness’.
He told MailOnline: ‘This is a young man from a council estate in Warrington, poised to win an Emmy for his very first filmed scenes.
‘It’s not just Roy of the Rovers territory, it’s not Michael Owen scoring against Argentina in the [1998] World Cup, it’s someone scoring the World Cup-winning goal on their debut.
‘No other British actor of his age has ascended from humble beginnings to international stardom at such an unprecedented pace. What makes this even more awe-inspiring is Owen’s utter lack of formal training.
‘There’s no more marketable 15-year-old anywhere in the world right now. Owen stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Emma Raducanu when she claimed the 2021 US Open at just 19, an achievement that seemed almost otherworldly.
‘Already he’s captured the iconic role of a young Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, one of cinema’s most celebrated male roles, proving that this is just the beginning of a career destined for greatness.
‘Think of the career trajectories of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Daniel Day-Lewis. Owen Cooper is on that very path, poised to redefine what it means to be a young actor in the modern era.’
Gold Derby’s odds are calculated from the votes of thousands of industry experts, journalists and website users, making it the most-respected awards prediction site. In last month’s Oscars they got all but five categories correct.
As well as Gold Derby, showbiz bibles Variety and Next Best Picture also make Cooper their favourite to win Best Supporting Actor and say they think the show will sweep a host of awards for cast and crew.
Variety said yesterday there was ‘good reason’ for Cooper to be the market front-runner.
Cooper, who hails from a proudly working class estate in central Warrington, was chosen from 500 candidates for the role of Jamie. It was his first-ever acting job and no one in his family has a background in the industry.
He is being supported on his meteoric rise by dad Andy, an IT worker, and mum Noreen, a carer. Speaking about the change in their lives last week, Noreen said: ‘It’s such a shock, but we’re getting on with it.’
And brand and culture expert Nick Ede predicted Owen could follow in Timothée Chalamet’s footsteps and become ‘the toast of Hollywood’.
He told MailOnline: ‘The phenomenal success of Adolescence has taken the TV world by storm and critics have been raving about Owen’s stand-out performance.
The Netflix show’s creator Stephen Graham, who played Jamie’s dad Eddie, has gone into the Best Actor category in Cooper’s place
Owen Cooper’s Jamie having his mugshot taken in Episode 1
Adolescence star Owen Cooper is seen on ITV show This Morning on March 27
‘The Hollywood elite love a rags-to-riches story and, at 15 and his first ever role, this young actor who was brought up in humble surroundings could soon become Hollywood’s hottest property and follow the path of many other child stars who have become household names, like Millie Bobby Brown or Timothee Chalamet.
‘I’m sure writers will already be presenting his agents with scripts and synopsis that will feature him.
‘As he’s so young I am sure he will be looked after and not thrust into the limelight without any support.
‘Being a star in the UK is very different from being an international phenomenon. I am sure the offers will be rolling in from feature films to brand deals and beyond.
‘He will probably feel a lot of pressure, but also feel a massive sense of achievement from where he has come from to where he is now.’
Currently the youngest male Emmy winner is former child star Scott Jacoby, who was 16 in 1973 when he won Best Supporting Actor for his role in pioneering drama That Certain Summer, about a teen whose father comes out as gay.
Last week Owen lifted the lid on his ‘mad’ return to school after Adolescence took the world by storm.
Chatting to The New York Times alongside on-screen father Graham, the teen revealed he had lots of attention from younger children on the first day.
He then said that the second was better with only ‘a bit of bother,’ which caused Graham to chime in with: ‘What kind of bother?’.
Cooper reassured him it wasn’t anything serious – just children coming up to him, shouting his name and then running away.
Graham smiled as he responded: ‘Ah, just some silly bo***cks.’
It all follows the news that Adolescence has hit No4 in Netflix’s Top 10 Global chart, gaining a jaw-dropping 114.5million views and overtaking established shows such as Bridgerton and the Queen’s Gambit in just four weeks.
The drama follows the story of Cooper’s 13-year-old character Jamie Miller, who gets accused of killing his female classmate Katie (Emilia Holliday).
The four episodes, all filmed in one continuous take, explore the influence of online misogyny and incel culture – with Sir Keir Starmer calling for the series to be shown in schools.
The PM said: ‘At home we are watching Adolescence. I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it’s a very good drama to watch.
‘This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem. It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.’
Graham and fellow co-writer Jack Thorne said they wanted the critically acclaimed series to ’cause discussion and make change’.
Speaking to Sky News, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the government was ‘acutely aware’ of the issues raised in Adolescence.
The hit show has prompted a discussion about the impact of social media on children.
Writing for the Mail on Sunday, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said: ‘Adolescence is not just a TV drama – it is a disturbing glimpse into the minds of thousands of young British boys warped by the extreme violence and sexual abuse they are witnessing every day online.’
