Adolescence star becomes Critics Choice Awards' youngest male winner of all time for role in hit series

A star of one of 2025's biggest series has become the youngest male actor winner of all time at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.

Proceedings are continuing to take place in Santa Monica as the 2026 awards season kicks off with the Critics Choice Awards. Some of the biggest names in film, TV and music are in attendance, as rewards are handed out in California this Sunday (January 5).

Adolescence, a four-part Netflix series that dropped in March 2025, has scooped up a number of awards, including 16-year-old Owen Cooper claiming the Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.

Adolescence sees Peaky Blinders star Stephen Graham play Eddie Miller, whose 13-year-old son Jamie is accused of murder. Cooper plays Jamie, and his performance left people in awe, especially as the young actor had no previous experience.

And rightfully so, the teenager's performance has been recognised at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. With his award, Cooper has become the youngest male actor winner of all time at the Critics Choice Awards, as per Disgusting Film.

Graham previously shared on Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden that Cooper was one of 500 boys to audition for the role.

Those behind the hit series, Graham included, didn't want someone with copious amounts of acting experience, either, explaining how the casting director, Shaheen Baig, wanted somebody new to break through.

"She saw over 500 young lads for this, and no disrespect, we didn’t want anyone who had a lot of experience, we wanted someone who is fresh and not used to the whole way that we work, so we saw 500 at least, and we narrowed it down to 5, and he’s one of those lads that was brilliant," he said.

After the release of Adolescence, Cooper's audition tape appeared online.

“I didn’t even know this got filmed,” the actor said during a video with fellow Adolescence star Erin Doherty.

In the audition clip, a younger Owen was seen playing Jamie as the teenager character stated his innocence to the crime of stabbing his schoolmate to death.

“I hated that, I hated that,” Cooper said after the tape finished.

“Well you’re not supposed to like looking at yourself,” Doherty replied. “But that was great!”

The British star added that he believed that the particular audition tape was what successfully landed him the role of Graham’s wayward son.