Adolescence's devastating Stephen Graham teddy bear scene was completely unscripted

21 March 2025, 16:38

Stephen Graham's emotional teddy scene in Adolescence wasn't in the original script. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

The final moment in Jamie's bedroom with the teddy bear was not in the original script.

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Netflix's Adolescence is packed full of emotional moments as it explores the fallout of a harrowing murder committed by 13-year-old Jamie Miller.

Thanks to its impressive filming technique (every episode was filmed in one take and there's no cuts!), there's also several stand out moments that were not in the original script.

In episode 3, Jamie actor and newcomer Owen Cooper accidentally yawned in the middle of a take and co-star Erin Doherty improvised an incredible response that kept the scene on track. Now, it's been revealed that Stephen Graham's emotional final scene was not in the original script.

Right at the end of episode 4, Jamie's dad Eddie breaks down in tears in Jamie's room. At one point, he tucks Jamie's teddy into bed and says, "I'm sorry, son. I should've done better.” Director Philip Barantini has revealed that moment almost didn't happen.

Read more: Is there more episodes of Adolescence? Here's why it's only 4 episodes long
Read more: Adolescence star reveals genius episode 3 'improvised' moment that wasn't in script

Adolescence's devastating teddy bear moment wasn't in the original script. Picture: Netflix

Speaking to Tudum, Philip confirmed that the original script called for Eddie to “get inside Jamie’s bed and pull the covers over his body, like he was an avatar for his imprisoned son”.

However, while rehearsing for the scene, he and Stephen came up with something completely different that ended up in the final cut.

"We rehearsed it, and it was great," Philip said. "But I just felt like there’s something about him tucking in Jamie’s teddy."

"This is the only thing that Eddie’s got that he can touch – that’s malleable, that Jamie’s cuddled, and Jamie’s been with. And then Stephen made it his own.”

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The director also caught Stephen Graham off guard during the filming of that final scene with an emotional detail hidden off camera.

He asked the art team to print out photos of Stephen with his wife Hannah and their children. They were then put into Jamie's wardrobe along with a note that read, "We love you. We’re so proud of you."

"If you watch the scene closely, [Stephen] looks over to the right-hand side, and he spots the pictures and the notes. It broke him open," Philip said. "The other takes before that were very different. They were all still incredibly emotional. But that last take, which we used, was real, raw, and unexpected from him as well."

"They got me to the core,” Stephen shared with a smile. “So the taps just opened up.”