Owen Cooper was recognised for his role in huge hit Adolescence, one of five Emmy Awards the Netflix miniseries picked up at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday
Owen Cooper expressed his shock after making history as the youngest male winner of an acting Emmy.
The star earned the award for his role in the British drama Adolescence, which widely impressed after airing on Netflix earlier this year. Cooper, 15, beat tough competition, including veteran actor Bill Camp in the Presumed Innocent and Rob Delaney in Dying For Sex, to the gong.
Speaking upon accepting it, the humble teenager said: “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. 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.”
His costars, Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham, also emerged victorious in their respective categories. It meant Adolescence won five awards at the ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Addressing the crowd, Owen, from Warrington, Cheshire, continued: “I was nothing about three years ago. I’m here now. If you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone a little bit, who cares if you get embarrassed a little bit?.. It says my name on the statue, but it really belongs to all of the people who worked on the show.”
Adolescence was the youngster’s first TV role and, since its success, he has gone on to record scenes for Film Club, which is an upcoming BBC drama, and he will play the Young Heathcliff in an upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation.
Roxana Zal was the youngest ever at age 14 when she won best supporting actress in a limited series or special for the TV movie “Something About Amelia” in 1984. However, Owen has added his name into the history books and told fans it “means a lot to me” after his win.
Erin dedicated her first win to her “big sister Grace” and said she “wouldn’t be here without” her. She said: “I love you with all my heart” during her acceptance speech for the best supporting actress in a limited series.
Adolescence received 13 nominations, having dominated Netflix’s most-watched list earlier this year. The British drama centres on the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate.
Adolescence director Philip Barantini took home the Emmy for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, while writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category. While accepting his award, Philip said: “To Netflix, thank you for trusting us with this mad idea.”