Adolescence star becomes youngest ever male winner of an acting Emmy

Owen Cooper, age 15, became the youngest male Emmy winner ever for his role in Netflix’s Adolescence, breaking a 50-year record at the Los Angeles ceremony.

At just 15 years old, British actor Owen Cooper has entered Emmy history. On Sunday night in Los Angeles, he became the youngest male winner ever in any acting category at the prestigious awards. Cooper won Best Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie for his powerful performance in Netflix’s Adolescence. His victory broke a record that had stood for over 50 years.

Record-breaking win

Cooper surpassed the previous milestone set in 1973, when Scott Jacoby, at age 16, won an Emmy for his role in That Certain Summer. Accepting his award at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, Cooper expressed disbelief at the recognition.

“Standing up here… wow this is so surreal,” he said. “Tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort you can achieve anything in life.”

He continued, “I was nothing about three years ago, I’m here now. It may have my name on this award but it really belongs to the people behind the camera and all the cast.”

Owen Cooper faced strong competition in his category, going up against several acclaimed actors. Among the nominees were Javier Bardem for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Peter Sarsgaard for Presumed Innocent. Rob Delaney was recognized for Dying for Sex, while Cooper’s own Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters was also in contention. Despite the heavyweight lineup, the 15-year-old emerged as the winner.

Breakthrough role in Adolescence

Cooper rose to prominence playing Jamie Miller, a radicalised teenager who commits the murder of a female classmate. The Netflix limited series, directed with each episode shot in a single take, also features Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walters.

The drama became extremely popular worldwide, becoming the second most-watched Netflix title ever with more than 540 million hours viewed. Only Wednesday has achieved higher numbers. It also became Netflix’s most-watched U.K. production to date.

The series sparked widespread debate over online spaces that influence young men, often described as the “manosphere.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cooper had reflected on his character’s vulnerability. “He could have been more protected,” he said. “He’s speaking to the wrong people online, which his family obviously has no idea about. Eddie and his mum could have just told him to come off [his phone]. Simple things like that could stop someone changing their life.”

Cooper and co-star Erin Doherty, who plays a psychologist in the series, described the intensity of their scenes together. Doherty recalled one pivotal exchange in the third episode: “We were then throwing even more things at each other. You were yawning in my face! You wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t [feel free]. I just feel like there was an element of great realism: ‘Let’s see how well we know this script, how well we can push each other.’”

Cooper admitted some of his strongest moments on screen came from improvisation. “I wasn’t even aware in the moment. It wasn’t till after that I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I did that. I had no awareness of it. I think when I said, ‘Look at me now!’ That’s not in the script. I remember thinking, ‘Have I actually just said that?’ Because I had no plan. It just popped in my head and I thought it was a powerful thing to do. Then it came out and I’d use it in every other take.” 

NEWS18