SAEDNEWS: Fifteen-year-old Owen Cooper made Emmy history on Sunday, becoming the youngest-ever winner in the supporting-actor category for a limited series — a meteoric leap for a performer whose first professional credit was filmed when he was just 14.
Fifteen-year-old Adolescence star Owen Cooper has made history as the youngest ever actor to win the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series. The win marks a startling achievement for a performer with no prior professional credits.
Cooper was only 14 when Adolescence was filmed; the show is his first professional role. He portrays Jamie, a teenage boy arrested for the murder of a female classmate — a central, searing part that anchors the series’ moral and cultural debates.
Adolescence became a cultural phenomenon almost immediately: the series amassed an astonishing 140 million views in its first three months on Netflix. Each episode was filmed in a single continuous take, a technique that amplified the show’s intensity and helped spark global conversation about the links between online “incel” communities and real-world violence.
Reflecting on his sudden rise, Cooper told the audience he hadn’t imagined he would get this far: “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,” he said on stage.
Accepting the award, Cooper paid tribute to his support network and collaborators, singling out his family and co-star Stephen Graham. “It may have my name on this award, but it really belongs to the people behind the camera and Stephen and … all the cast,” he said.
Cooper joins the ranks of the youngest Emmy winners in history — though the all-time record remains with Roxana Zal, who was 14 when she won in 1984 for the television movie Something About Amelia. Cooper’s victory is nonetheless a standout moment for actors of his generation.
On his way to the trophy, Cooper was up against formidable nominees, including his Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters, Javier Bardem for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Bill Camp and Peter Sarsgaard for Presumed Innocent, and Rob Delaney for Dying for Sex.
Before the ceremony, Cooper had admitted he hoped to meet fellow nominee Jake Gyllenhaal. On the red carpet, Gyllenhaal surprised him with a small token: a “lucky duck,” mirroring a charm a friend of Gyllenhaal’s once sent him during an earlier awards run. “It’s just a ‘lucky duck’ to keep in your pocket,” Gyllenhaal explained, “to give you a little bit of luck.”
Sunday’s ceremony was a triumphant night for Adolescence: the show also won outstanding limited series, directing, and writing. Stephen Graham — who plays Jamie’s father Eddie and co-created the series — took home the Emmy for best actor in a limited series, and Erin Doherty won for supporting actress for her role as the forensic psychologist who evaluates Jamie.
Accepting the Emmy for writing alongside co-creator Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham reflected on the unexpected reach of the project. “We never expected our little program to have such a big impact,” he said, acknowledging the series’ resonance and the conversations it has provoked.
