“I grew up wanting to be a footballer,” said the 15-year-old first-time actor

Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in ‘Adolescence’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix’s new British thriller Adolescence features heart-wrenching performances by experienced actors like Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty. However, the real breakout star is 15-year-old child actor Owen Cooper.

“Everyone’s been saying such nice things,” Cooper told Variety in a recent interview. “My agent has seen it and she said it was really good. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really watch it like I’m watching a normal show. I just watch it because I’m in it.”

Adolescence is Cooper’s first acting credit. The four-episode limited series follows a British family as their 13-year-old son is accused and arrested for murdering a teenage girl in his class.

Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in ‘Adolescence.’.Courtesy of Ben Blackall/Netflix

The show — from director Philip Barantini and writers Jack Thorne and Graham, who also stars in the series — was described by The Guardian as one of the “most terrifying TV shows of our time.” In line with Barantini’s BAFTA-winning feature Boiler Point, each episode is filmed in one continuous take.

“When Phil told me about the one-shot thing, I thought he was just talking about like one episode, or one-quarter of an episode,” the first-time actor said. “But then he said all four episodes are being shot in one take. And I immediately thought I’d never, ever be able to do this.”

He then added: “But everyone helped me through it — Phil, Erin, Ashley, Stephen. So I’d definitely do one shot again.”

“He could do it in his sleep again,” Barantini interjected.

Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, in ‘Adolescence.’.Ben Blackall/Netflix

Cooper was just 14 years old when he portrayed Jamie Miller in two episodes of Adolescence. He delivers a captivating performance, starting as a shy and terrified boy who quickly unravels after meeting with a court-appointed psychologist (Doherty). The performance is one of the most talked about from the show, but it comes from someone who doesn’t have much acting experience.

In fact, Cooper even noted that he’s done “literally nothing” before now.

“I only really wanted to start acting a couple of years ago. It’s not been long,” he said. “I grew up wanting to be a footballer. I don’t know what it was that made me want to do it, but I just wanted to do it. And then I went to lessons and enjoyed it.”

Owen Cooper attends the “Adolescence” Special Screening at BAFTA on March 12, 2025 in London, England.Jeff Spicer/Getty

Finding a young actor with chops like Cooper wasn’t easy. Director Barantini and casting director Shaheen Baig sorted through “1000s of tapes that came through” before landing on Cooper. During production, Barantini brought in an acting teacher to help Cooper before they filmed his episodes. Yet, the child star quickly honed his craft.

“Honestly, first day on set was obviously nerve-racking for all of us. But he just absolutely blew me away,” Barantini said. “Actors train for years and years and still can’t really master what Owen has mastered, which is basically just being in the moment and listening and being truthful.”

Cooper’s talents have not gone unnoticed. For his second acting credit, he’ll star alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in director Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. The film is based on Emily Brontë’s classic 1847 novel of the same name.

Left: Margot Robbie; Center: Owen Cooper; Right: Jacob Elordi.Elyse Jankowski/WireImage; Jeff Spicer/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty

“We’ve got another couple of weeks left. But it’s been going really well. I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said of his new gig. “Obviously it’s not one-shot anymore! So I’m getting used to that. But it’s been amazing. Emerald’s lovely.”

As for his costars, he’s enjoyed his time on set with them, too. “We’d always speak in the makeup chair. Jacob’s lovely. He’s always chatting to everyone. And same as Margot. Margot is lovely as well,” he added.

All episodes of Adolescence are now streaming on Netflix.