The British teenager who starred in hit Netflix drama Adolescence has become the youngest male actor to win an Emmy Award.
Owen Cooper had never acted professionally before he was cast as Jamie Miller, a troubled schoolboy arrested for the murder of his classmate in Yorkshire.
On Sunday night, the15-year-old from Warrington had the “surreal” experience of standing in front of Hollywood’s elite to accept the award for outstanding male supporting actor in a limited series.
“Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here,” Cooper told the audience at the 77th Emmys in Los Angeles.
“But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
Owen Cooper poses with his trophy for best supporting actor in a limited series – Mike Blake
He added: “It says my name on the statue, but it really belongs to all of the people who worked on the show”.
Cooper was 14 when he filmed the four-part series with Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B. His talent – especially his knack for improvising in shots filmed as one long, unbroken take – quickly earned him industry respect and widespread acclaim.
Adolescence has been viewed 142.6 million times since its release in March and has sparked a global conversation about knife crime, online safety and ‘incel’ culture.
Owen Cooper plays Jamie Miller, a schoolboy who kills his female classmate – Netflix
It was nominated for 13 awards on Sunday night and dominated the ceremony with six wins.
The show’s director Philip Barantini won the Emmy for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, and writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category.
Graham, who as well as writing starred in the show as Jamie’s father Eddie, was also awarded best actor in a limited series.
He said the cast and crew “never expected our little programme to have such a big impact”.
Stephen Graham said he was glad Adolescence had an impact on the community – FREDERIC J. BROWN
“This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me,” Graham told the audience in an emotional acceptance speech.
“I’m just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby.
“So for me to be here today in front of my peers and be acknowledged by you is the utmost humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life. And it shows you that any dream is possible.”
Co-star Erin Doherty won best supporting actress in the category for her performance as Briony Ariston, a child psychologist who assesses the young killer as he awaits trial.
“Wow, so it’s looking like I’m just gonna be banging on about Adolescence and Owen Cooper for the rest of my life,” Doherty said in her acceptance speech.
“I would love to mention every single person that was involved in making this show because it was the definition of a team effort, but I can’t get up here without talking about Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters. You are generosity personified.”
Erin Doherty plays a psychologist tasked with assessing Owen Cooper’s character Jamie – Mike Blake
The night’s other major winners included Seth Rogen’s The Studio, which took home awards for best directing, best writing and outstanding actor in a comedy series.
Irish actor Colin Farrell received his first Emmy nomination for his role in The Penguin on HBO Max.
The Pitt upsets Severence for best drama
HBO series The Pitt was the upset winner over Severance, a surreal commentary on corporate power that went into the red-carpet ceremony in Los Angeles with the most nominations and totalled eight wins.
The Pitt star Noah Wyle earned his first Emmy, taking the prize for best drama actor in the character-driven medical drama.
He had previously been nominated five times for his role in the medical drama “ER,” but never won.
“Wow. What a dream this has been,” Wyle said on stage before thanking healthcare workers. “To anyone going on shift or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job.”
Co-star Katherine LaNasa, whose nurse is perhaps the show’s most beloved character, was a surprise winner of best supporting actress in a drama. She beat three women nominated for The White Lotus including English actress Aimee Lou Wood.
Aimee Lou Wood poses on the red carpet – DANIEL COLE
Rogen, star and co-creator of The Studio joked that he was “legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me” as he accepted his award for best lead actor in a comedy series.
The 43-year-old beat Adam Brody from Nobody Wants This, Jason Segel from Shrinking, Martin Short from Only Murders in the Building and Jeremy Allen White from The Bear.
“This is amazing, I cannot wrap my head around this happening so I literally prepared nothing,” he said.
“I’ve never won anything in my life.”
Seth Rogen and the team from The Studio, accept the award for outstanding comedy – Chris Pizzello
In the variety show category, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was celebrated as best talk series for the first time in its decade-long run.
It comes two months after CBS, the network that broadcast the Emmys on Sunday, announced in July it was cancelling Colbert’s show for financial reasons, a decision that sparked an outcry.
Colbert, who was asked to present an award, joked about needing a job.
“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” he asked the audience.
First-time host Nate Bargatze offered an incentive for honourees during the live ceremony – he promised a $100,000 (£73,000) donation to charity but warned he would reduce the amount each time a speaker exceeded their allotted 45 seconds.
At the end of the show, Bargatze announced that long-winded remarks had left his charitable fund in deficit. He said he and CBS would, however, donate $350,000 (£257,000) to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
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