Who plays Jamie Miller in Adolescence? Owen Cooper never acted before starring in show

14 March 2025, 22:21 | Updated: 15 March 2025, 00:59

Who is Owen Cooper? Meet the first-time actor who plays Jamie Miller in Adolescence. Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage, Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Netflix's Adolescence is Owen Cooper's first role EVER – and he's set to appear in Wuthering Heights alongside Margot Robbie next.

Loading audio...

Netflix's Adolescence boasts an incredible cast full of British stars including Stephen Graham (who also serves as the co-creator), Ashley Walters (who you'll know from Top Boy), Erin Doherty (who plays Princess Anne in The Crown seasons 3 and 4) and several others. But the breakout star of the show? 15-year-old Owen Cooper who plays Jamie Miller.

Viewers have been left absolutely stunned by Owen's performance in the series. Not only because of his skilful portrayal of the troubled teenager but also because each episode of the show was filmed in one continuous take.

Episode 3, which is mostly a two-hander between Owen and Erin (as clinical psychologist Briony Ariston), is 50 minutes long without a single cut. Owen is on screen for most of it and hat makes it even more impressive is that Owen is not a professional actor... Adolescence is his first ever role.

Get to know the talented young actor here – and find out what major role alongside Margot Robbie he's got lined up next.

Read more: Is Netflix's Adolescence a true story? Tragic real life inspiration revealed
Read more: Who is the killer in Netflix's Adolescence? Ending explained by co-creators

Did Jamie kill Katie in Adolescence? — Owen Cooper never acted professionally before Ado. Picture: Netflix

Who is Owen Cooper and where is he from?

Owen Cooper plays accused killer Jamie Miller in Netflix's Adolescence. He is now 15 but he was 14 years old when he filmed the series, and he's from Warrington which is not far from where the Netflix series was filmed.

Aside from attending a local drama club for a few years, Owen has done no professional acting and has never attended drama school. In fact, he grew up wanting to be a footballer. Adolescence is his first major project and his first TV role.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Owen discovered a passion for acting during drama lessons at school. "Both of my brothers are electricians and my mum's a carer," he joked. "My dad works in IT. So, I've no clue where it comes from."

Speaking to Variety about the reaction to his performance, Cooper said: "Everyone’s been saying such nice things. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really watch it like I’m watching a normal show. I just watch it because I’m in it. So I don’t know. But everyone who has spoken to me has said it’s amazing. So yeah, I’ve heard positive things."

Watch Netflix's Adolescence trailer

What else has Owen Cooper been in?

Well, he's literally not been in anything else... Not only is this Owen's first major credit, it's his first credit ever.

And the reaction to his performance has blown viewers away. On X/Twitter, one viewer said: "Owen Cooper, the young lad who plays Jamie in this, is an absolute star. The kind of incredible performance you'd expect from a seasoned pro. Not a teenager making their major debut."

Another added: "Unbelievable to think the young lad Owen Cooper playing Jamie Cooper, has never acted before, phenomenal.

Owen currently has one upcoming project in the works, and it's a pretty big one. He's set to play young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennel's upcoming Wuthering Heights which also stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

Now his performance in Adolescence is out in the world, there's no doubt Owen will be flooded with major offers pretty soon.

Owen Cooper plays 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is accused of murdering a girl at his school. Picture: Netflix

How did Owen Cooper get cast in Adolescence?

Speaking to ITV News, Stephen Graham explained the reason why they decided to cast Owen, who had no prior acting experience, over a young actor who had been trained or had acted professionally.

"One of the things that I'm exceptionally proud of with this production is that we found Owen," he said. "We didn't want a young lad who'd been through a theatre school or a drama school. Owen's a normal kid from a council estate, he's working with Margot Robbie now."

When Owen auditioned, he originally had his sights on playing Jamie's friend Ryan, not Jamie. In an interview with Tudum, Stephen said: "When he left the room, I turned around to Phil and Jack and said, 'I think that's him.'"

Co-creator Jack Thorne added: "He wasn’t acting. Owen was working out his own way through it. But it felt like that capability was in him right from the start. Owen just needed to work out how to harness that monster inside of Jamie. And then once he harnessed that monster, there was no stopping him."