The atmosphere in the Beverly Hilton ballroom was electric as Owen Cooper took to the stage to accept the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series.
At just 16, Cooper has become the youngest male actor in history to pull off a triple crown sweep—winning an Emmy, a Critics’ Choice, and now a Golden Globe—all for his first-ever professional acting role. His victory for the Netflix limited series “Adolescence” saw him beat out veteran heavyweights like Billy Crudup and Walton Goggins, a feat that felt both surprising and entirely earned given the technical mastery required for the role.
From Warrington to the Beverly Hilton
“Adolescence,” co-created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, became a global phenomenon last year not just for its harrowing exploration of youth knife crime, but for its audacious filmmaking. Each episode was shot in a single continuous take, leaving no room for error.
Source: IMDb
Cooper’s performance as Jamie Miller—a 13-year-old boy whose life unravels after the murder of a classmate—demanded a level of emotional stamina that seasoned actors often struggle to maintain. The one-shot format meant Cooper had to live in Jamie’s terror and confusion for an hour at a time, a challenge he met with a raw, unfiltered vulnerability that clearly left a lasting impression on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
During his acceptance speech, the young star remained remarkably grounded, reflecting on his humble beginnings at a drama school in Manchester. “I was the only boy there; it was embarrassing,” he joked to a room full of A-listers, before concluding with a heartfelt “You’ll never walk alone” in a nod to his beloved Liverpool FC. The industry has been quick to embrace him, with peers like Mark Ruffalo and Teyana Taylor leading a standing ovation that seemed to last longer than the speech itself.
As Cooper looks ahead to the rest of 2026, his trajectory is only moving upward. He is officially set to transition from the gritty realism of contemporary London to the windswept moors of Yorkshire in Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” slated for release on February 13. Cooper will take on the pivotal role of young Heathcliff, portraying the character’s formative, dark years before the role is handed over to Jacob Elordi.
