Owen Cooper has impressed in Adolescence, which has attracted 24 million viewers on Netflix since it was released last week, but he had no huge acting experience prior to the role
Owen Cooper – young star of Netflix hit Adolescence – was nicknamed «my mini Harry Styles» by mum Noreen growing up.
Yet Noreen, 51, could not have predicted her youngest son’s meteoric rise to fame – as Adolescence has attracted more than 24 million viewers. Critics have dubbed Owen, 15, a «once-in-a-generation talent» for his portrayal for Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murdering a classmate.
The drama has been so powerful its creators have accepted an invitation to meet with MPs in Parliament to discuss the dangers of online influence and the need for greater online safety measures. Credit must go to Owen for helping secure this for his work as the youngster, who is seen being detained in the opening scenes of the gritty four-part drama.
Owen has caught the eye in the industry too as he is already filming scenes as young Heathcliff in the 2026 adapation of Wuthering Heights. For this, he is spending time at a 600-year-old former royal residence in Kent with his mother, quite the change from their three-bed terrace in Cheshire.
But neighbours stress the family are keen to remain modest – Owen, who enjoys playing football for his under-15s side, lives with Noreen, who is a carer, 44-year-old dad Andy, works in IT, and older brother Ollie. Ollie and Owen have older half-brother Connor, who, like Ollie, is an electrician.
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Football was Owen’s passion as a younger lad. The big Liverpool FC fan had said in a recent interview: «I never wanted to be an actor. It wasn’t really in my DNA.» He was also interested in music, so much so Noreen fondly called her son her «mini Harry Styles«. Yet now, Noreen every week makes the hour-long round trip to Didsbury, Manchester, to take Owen to drama classes.
Owen this week appeared on The One Show sofa alongside Hollywood legend Robert De Niro, who offered some words of wisdom to the young star, telling him to «keep at it». The encounter came as odds tumbled on Owen to pip the acting great to the Best Actor in a Limited Series Emmy. The soft-spoken teenager was a 100/1 shot to win last weekend but has seen the odds fall to 9/1.
Like De Niro, neighbours praised the youngster. Christine Walker, 75, who has known Owen since he was a baby, said: «Owen is always away,» in reference to the lad’s acting opportunities. She noted mum is away with Owen currently for work on Wuthering Heights, which will also feature Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
Another neighbour, Madeleine Rigby, 79, described him as a «lovely young lad». He told the Daily Mail: «He would run errands for me in the past. He and his family would do absolutely anything for you if you asked.»
