While Hollywood can sometimes feel like a revolving door of new faces, every now and then, one actor catches our attention. And in 2025, there's no doubt it was Netflix's Adolescence breakout star, Owen Cooper.
At just 15, Cooper made history at the 77th Emmy Awards today, as the youngest actor ever to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. No easy feat, when you're up against names like Javier Bardem and Rob Delaney. So who is the boy behind the headlines? Get to know Owen Cooper, below.
He's originally from the UK
Cooper was born in Warrington, England. In his acceptance speech at the Emmys, he emphasised how far away Hollywood is from his hometown. “Standing up here is just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to even be in the United States, let alone here,” Cooper said. “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."
He wanted to be a footballer before he found acting
While it's hard to imagine a world where Cooper didn't play the central character in Adolescence, that was almost the case. He was originally planning to puruse professional football, and was playing as part of the Warrington Ryland U15 squad. However speaking to W Magazine, he revealed that it was Tom Holland's performance in The Impossible that inspired him to pursue acting.
"I think I've watched that about 30 times, and I cried every single time. The Impossible was the film where I looked at Tom Holland and wanted to be an actor because of that," he shared.
Adolescence was his first role
It wasn't long after starting weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob, a Manchester-based drama school created by Coronation Street actress Tina O'Brien and Esther Morgan, that Cooper landed the role on Netflix's Adolescence. Speaking to Variety, he shared, "I only really wanted to start acting a couple of years ago. It’s not been long. I grew up wanting to be a footballer. I don’t know what it was that made me want to do it, but I just wanted to do it. And then I went to lessons and enjoyed it. And then I got into a little agency thing, and then I got a self-tape request for Adolescence. And everything came from that really."
He's already got his next project lined up
If you're longing for more of Cooper on your screen, you won't have to wait long. His next project sees him play a young Heath Cliff (Jacob Elordi plays the older version) in Emerald Fennel's Wuthering Heights. Not bad for a sophmore role.
Feature image from Adolescence, via IMDb.
