Los Angeles, Sept 15 (UNI) In a night that will be remembered as a watershed in television history, “Adolescence” prodigy Own Cooper became the youngest male actor ever to secure an Emmy, seizing the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie at just 15 years of age.
The British teenager eclipsed a record untouched since 1973, when Scott Jacoby won at 16 for “That Certain Summer”, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
“Standing up here… wow this is so surreal” Cooper said while picking up the award in downtown Los Angeles. “Tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort you can achieve anything in life.” “I was nothing about three years ago, I’m here now,” he added. “It may have my name on this award but it really belongs to the people behind the camera and all the cast.”
Cooper captivated audiences as teen murderer Jamie Miller in Netflix’s “Adolescence”, each episode filmed across one consecutive take, also starring Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Erin Doherty and Ashley Walters.
The teenager was a cover star for The Hollywood Reporter when the series flew to the top of Netflix‘s charts upon its March release. It is the second most-watched Netflix show of all time, behind Wednesday, notching up over 540 million hours of viewing time. Adolescence is also the most-watched U.K. title ever on the platform, following in the footsteps of Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer with its focus on British talent and storytelling. The series ignited a worldwide conversation on the perils of the digital “manosphere,” laying bare how unmoderated online spaces can wrap impressionable young minds.
“He could have been more protected,” Cooper told THR about playing Jamie and whether his character could have been saved. “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.”
The 77th Emmy Awards telecast live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles Sunday on CBS and streamed on Paramount . Nate Bargatze hosted.
