EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ADOLESCENCE'S OWEN COOPER

Owen Cooper is fast becoming a household name, following his acting debut on Netflix's Adolescence.

The 15-year-old actor plays the show's lead, Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a girl at his school.

Not only was this Cooper's first TV role, but each episode of the show was uniquely filmed in one-take, making his portrayal of Jamie even more impressive.

The crime series, which arrived on Netflix on Thursday 13th March, also stars Boiling Point's Stephen Graham, The Responder's Christine Tremarco, both of whom have been singing Cooper's praises.

Speaking in a video interview with AP News, Tremarco commended the young actor for executing his scenes flawlessly without the script.

"That's amazing to turn up first day of rehearsals completely off book," she said to him.

Graham added: "And on top of that, you know he'd never done any acting before... and he turns up off book and just absolutely smashed it. He's a unique talent."

Similarly, viewers of the show have been in awe of Cooper's performance, with one writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Owen Cooper's performance in episode 3 was chef's kiss. This being his first time on screen is even more impressive #adolescence."

As he stars in Netflix's Adolescence, read on for everything you need to know about Owen Cooper, including what he had to say about the show and the role he wants to play next.

Who is Owen Cooper?

Owen Cooper is an up-and-coming actor who stars in the lead role of Netflix's Adolescence.

He plays Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murder.

Speaking about his new role in an interview with Variety, Cooper said: "Everyone’s been saying such nice things [about my performance]. 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. So I don’t know. But everyone who has spoken to me has said it’s amazing. So yeah, I’ve heard positive things."

Adolescence is Cooper's debut acting role and each episode of the new crime drama was filmed in one-take, which makes Cooper's first performance even more remarkable.

"He just absolutely blew me away. 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," the show's director Phillip Baranti told Variety.

"l’ve obviously worked with a lot of actors in my time as an actor and as a director and a lot of actors can’t do what he can do. He doesn’t even realise it! He’s so blasé."

Where is Owen Cooper from?

Owen Cooper is from Warrington in Cheshire. He lives here with his carer mum Noreen and IT worker dad Andy.

How old is Owen Cooper?

Owen Cooper is currently 15-years-old, but was 14 at the time of filming the Netflix show.

Does Owen Cooper have Instagram?

He does.

You can follow the actor on Instagram @owencoooper.

As of March 2025, he has just over 21k followers, but his following is bound to go up after his acting debut.

What else has Owen Cooper starred in?

Adolescence is Cooper's first acting role, but with his impressive performance, the young star is on the fast track to what could be a remarkable acting career.

He's even lined up his next role, with the actor set to play play young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Height alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, as per Variety.

Cooper has also revealed that he'd love to join the Marvel Universe, saying in a interview with i-D Magazine: "I want to play Spider-Man."

Adolesecence is available to stream on Netflix.

2025-03-14T17:40:37Z