Share and Follow
The teenage star of Adolescence has made history by becoming the youngest male actor to win an Emmy for his role in the hit Netflix drama.
Owen Cooper, 15, took home best supporting actor in a limited series for playing a 13-year-old English schoolboy accused of killing a female classmate.
“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,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone you can achieve anything.”
The breakout star also thanked the cast and crew, as well as his parents.
The four-part series recorded 140 million views in its first three months on Netflix, and drew rave reviews.
The show also sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences young boys are exposed to on the internet.
The show picked up five other awards, including outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie for director Philip Barantini.
Writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category.
“We never expected our little program to have such a big impact,” said Graham, who also starred in the series.
Erin Doherty won best supporting actress for playing a clinical psychologist who interviews Cooper’s character during an intense, single-shot interview.
In 1984, then 14-year-old Roxane Zal became the youngest winner of an Emmy Award when she won best supporting actress for her role in the TV movie Something About Amelia.
The Emmy Awards recognise excellence in television.
