Last week, 16-year-old Owen Cooper from Warrington won a Golden Globe for his supporting role in Netflix’s series Adolescence. It was a remarkable achievement for one so young. When he was cast in the role, he had only recently begun acting classes.
Adolescence takes a difficult subject, toxic masculinity, online radicalisation and mental health in young boys. The series has been a huge hit, and all the performers have been hailed as being in one of the best-ever series. The awards season is upon us, and it’s picking up the awards.
I was invited onto the World Service of the BBC to talk about the business of being young and becoming a success so young. I was struck by what he had said when accepting the award. He said as far as he was concerned, he thought it was about hard work, focus and listening.
It’s right to value listening, as many people don’t listen. Have you ever had that feeling that someone isn’t listening to you? They are often waiting for you to stop so they can carry on. Likewise, some actors are on autopilot waiting for their cue when, if they really listened, they would listen, hear what is being said and react more spontaneously and believably. That’s a higher level of art.
Owen said, “What started off as what I thought I might be OK at, I might be awful at, I took a risk, and I went to drama classes. I was the only boy there; it was embarrassing, but I got through it.”
It’s interesting, this business of fewer boys choosing to go to classes, although it can vary greatly according to area. I suppose the traditional stereotypes of “boys play football and girls go to dance” still apply, but I’d like to feel that it’s changing. When classes are full of boys and girls, they share a place for sharing ideas and talking to each other. They discover they have things in common, and performing is certainly richer for the presence of both sexes.
Owen clearly has some talent – it will be interesting to see how the Oscars go, and he has said he wants to leave school after his GCSEs and go into the performing industry. Good luck to him. I love the fact that he just thought he could do it, so he went for it. I love it when all our young people bring that kind of attitude to their work. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself – and if you don’t, this is a place where you can learn to do so.
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