Sixteen-year-old actor Owen Cooper etched his name into awards history on Sunday by winning the Golden Globe for his performance in Netflix’s Adolescence, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series award.
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The honour was presented at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, currently underway at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. With the win, Cooper has also become the youngest male actor to secure a Golden Globe, an Emmy Award and a Critics’ Choice Award in a remarkable back-to-back sweep.
Earlier this month, Cooper won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Adolescence. Last year, he made headlines at the Emmy Awards after becoming the youngest male actor to win an acting category.
In the four-episode Netflix series, Cooper portrays Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old schoolboy arrested in connection with a murder. Rather than focusing on the identity of the perpetrator, the series examines the circumstances and emotional forces that led Jamie down a tragic path.
The show also stars Stephen Graham as Jamie’s father, Christine Tremarco as his mother, and Amelie Pease as his sister. According to Deadline, Adolescence crossed over 141 million views within its first three months, making it Netflix’s second-most-watched series after Wednesday.
During his acceptance speech, Cooper expressed gratitude for the recognition, describing the moment as surreal. “Wow, standing here with a Golden Globe, it does not feel real whatsoever,” he said. “What an incredible journey me and my family have been put through. We are forever grateful for what these people have done for me and my family.”
Reflecting on how his acting journey began, Cooper recalled taking a leap of faith by enrolling in drama classes. “What started off as, what I thought [was], ‘I might be okay, I might be awful. I never know.’ So I took a risk, and I went to drama classes,” he said.
Sharing an anecdote from those early days, Cooper added, “I was the only boy there. It was embarrassing. But I got through it, and I’m still very much an apprentice. So still learning every day. I’m still learning from the people that I sat in front of, you sat in front of me, who’s inspired me.”
Other nominees in the Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series category included Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus), Tramell Tillman (Severance), and Ashley Walters (Adolescence).
