He has been hailed as a ‘once in a generation talent’ for his acting debut as a 13-year-old accused of killing a classmate.
And now Owen Cooper, the star of the Netflix hit show Adolescence, is taking his talents to Hollywood.
The 15-year-old is to play Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, alongside Margot Robbie.
Cooper is currently filming the Emily Bronte classic for the Warner Bros studio. Oscar nominee Robbie is playing Catherine Earnshaw in the £62 million production, with Cooper playing a young Heathcliff and Saltburn actor Jacob Elordi taking on the grown-up role.
Cooper’s performance as Jamie Miller in Adolescence has seen him hailed as a major new talent.
Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos said yesterday: ‘Newcomer Owen Cooper makes an undeniable acting debut that tells the world he has arrived.’
Stephen Graham – who plays his father – is convinced that Cooper in a ‘once in a generation talent’ set for lasting stardom.
Cooper told The Mail on Sunday how he started his acting at a local group, The Drama MOB, founded by Coronation Street actress Tina O’Brien, and was there for two years before landing his role in Adolescence.
Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 15 (pictured) is to play Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights. His performance as Jamie Miller has seen him hailed as a major talent
Oscar nominee Margot Robbie (pictured) is playing Catherine Earnshaw in the £62 million production of Wuthering Heights
Cooper at a screening of Netflix’s Adolesence in London. He said his toughest scenes were the clashes with clinical psychologist Briony Ariston
He said: ‘I sent this tape off, not expecting anything back, and then a month later I get a recall in Manchester. It’s a whirlwind, to be honest.’
Cooper said his toughest scenes were the clashes with clinical psychologist Briony Ariston, played by Erin Doherty.
He told the MoS: ‘I have to get right in her face and scare her – in rehearsals, I couldn’t do that.
‘It was a bit out of my comfort zone, but we had two weeks of rehearsals and in the end it was perfectly fine doing it.’
