Emmys 2025: Adolescence star Owen Cooper’s inspiring award acceptance speech

Owen Cooper made a lasting impact at this year’s Emmys, not only because he is the youngest Emmy winner ever, but also for leaving a global audience inspired by his acceptance speech.

The 15-year-old took home the award for outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for his performance in Netflix’s drama Adolescence.

The psychological crime drama series, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini, centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie Miller (Cooper), who is arrested after the murder of a girl at his school.

After Cooper was announced as a winner, he took to the stage with an inspiring message to those who might be afraid to try something new.

“Standing on stage, wow, it’s just so surreal,” he said.

“Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.

“I think tonight proves if you listen and focus and step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life. I was nothing about three years ago, I’m here now.

“Who cares if you get embarrassed, you know, anything can be possible.

“A big thanks to my parents, to my mum, my dad, my family, to the ones who love me and ones who I love. Stephen, Erin, Ashley, Phil Barantini, Jack Thorne, Jo Johnson, Netflix, Plan B, I could go on forever.

“It may have my name on this award, but it really belongs to the people behind the camera, Stephen and all the cast.”

The British actor was only 14 when the four-part series was filmed, with each episode shot in one continuous take.

Cooper had no TV or film credits to his name before landing his role as Jamie and delivered what critics described as an “astonishing” and “truly remarkable performance”.

In a Netflix interview, casting director Shaheen Baig recalled seeing Cooper’s improvised tape and thinking: “He looks great on camera, but also his improv was really smart. It felt very natural.”

Cooper first became interested in acting at around the age of 10 and attended weekly acting classes for two years in Didsbury, Manchester.

“I asked my mum and dad if I could start going to drama classes, and I think they were a bit shocked by it because I’ve always wanted to become a footballer,” he said in a Netflix interview.

After his Emmy win, Cooper told reporters inside the media room: “It means so much to me. It means so much to me, my family, people back home. So, you know, it’s just, yeah, it just means a lot to me.”

Cooper said his friends might not know about his win yet “because it’s four in the morning at home”, before adding: “They’ll be all over the moon, yes.”

Adolescence cleaned up at the Emmys, taking home a total of eight awards.