Erin Doherty, known for her role as Briony Ariston, a child psychologist, in the popular Netflix series “Adolescence,” recently shared an amusing anecdote about how she almost missed her chance to be part of the show. The 33-year-old actress admitted to initially ignoring calls from Stephen Graham, the actor and writer who offered her the role.

Graham, 52, faced quite the challenge in reaching Doherty, who describes herself as a ‘technophobe.’ Her reluctance to engage with technology nearly cost her the opportunity to be involved in the series, which captivated an audience of 114 million within its first month on the streaming platform and sparked widespread discussion.

In a candid interview, Doherty elaborated on her technological struggles, saying, “I’m just really bad at my phone. I’m such a technophobe, and Stephen knew that.” Her anecdote highlights the surprising hurdles that can arise in the entertainment industry, even for seasoned professionals.

However, Erin could have easily missed on on the opportunity to star in the series, after she failed to pick up a call. 

Speaking in a new interview, she explained: ‘I’m just really bad at my phone. I’m such a technophobe, and Stephen knew that.

‘I was getting voice notes from him being like, “Erin, pick up your phone!”‘

Adolescence star Erin Doherty has revealed she ignored Stephen Graham’s calls when he offered her a part in the hit Netflix drama (pictured in February)

The actress, 33, who starred as Briony Ariston, a child psychologist, in the series, recalled how the actor and writer, 52, battled to get hold of her as she is a bit of a ‘technophobe’ (pictured with Owen Cooper in the series)

She told The Guardian how he eventually got hold of her after her girlfriend told her to give Stephen a call back. 

Erin went on to say how she said yes on the spot before she even read the script.  

Adding of the show’s success, the actress said: ‘I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. But you do know when you’re a part of something that’s good and deserves to be seen. From day one, it had that electricity.’ 

Elsewhere, Erin revealed she and child star Owen Cooper improvised their chilling single-take Adolescence therapist scene.

The British actress said she is ‘glad’ the young actor, 15, forced her to improvise because she really became her character Briony in that moment. 

When Owen Cooper, who portrays Jamie, spontaneously yawned during the cross-examination scene, she admitted she ‘wasn’t going to let that pass’. 

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK, Erin opened up about filming the award-winning Netflix series. 

Asked about Jamie’s spontaneous yawn during the cross-examination scene, she said: ‘I genuinely was Briony in that moment, responding as her.’

She told The Guardian how he eventually got hold of her after her girlfriend told her to give Stephen a call back (pictured in May)

Elsewhere, Erin revealed she and child star Owen Cooper improvised their chilling single-take Adolescence therapist scene

She added: ‘I, or she, was like, “What are you doing?” I wasn’t going to let that pass. I wanted to poke him with it. I’m glad I did. We’re wrestling there.’

Discussing Adolescence’s single-take filming schedule, Erin explained how it made the project more ‘exciting and dangerous’. 

She added: ‘There’s always a fear that the edit will be an odd mosaic of what you were trying to achieve… this way of shooting gave us freedom. It felt both exciting and dangerous.’

The four-part series received critical acclaim when it hit the streaming service in March, and centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl.

In the show, viewers saw how teen Jamie Miller’s perception of girls had been radicalised through content he was viewing online, and also showed the vast amount of social media consumed by teenagers at school.