Adolescence star has defiant message to governments over budget cuts
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
A star of the hit Netflix drama Adolescence has criticized the US and UK governments over their budget cuts.
The show rocketed to fame for its portrayal of a British teenage boy who murders a female schoolmate.
Each episode is filmed in one long, continuous shot, and shows the various stages and ripples from the killing, including the initial raid on his family home and police interrogation, inside his school, an interview with a forensic psychiatrist, and the boy's family wrestling with what he's done.
The Netflix show drew attention in the UK parliament for its examination of how young men can be radicalized into committing violence against women and girls, highlighting the power of art to make us think about issues affecting us.
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Now, the show's creator and one of its stars, Stephen Graham, has criticized US and UK government policies towards the arts as they face mounting funding cuts.
During the Critics Choice Awards Press Conference, the actor said: "We need to produce art."
Trump has decimated arts funding in the US, with things like public TV and radio, museums, theatres, and cultural institutions seeing funding cut.
Arts programs can be a lifeline for young people, and in an industry which is notoriously difficult to get funding, it potentially stops people from disadvantaged backgrounds from pursuing the arts.
"Art is integral for humanity to continue. Do you know what I mean?" Graham went on. "To keep the spirit of their life. We are all working-class kids and we're from working-class backgrounds."
Graham added: “Me and Christine [Christine Tremarco played the mother of Jamie Miller in Adolescence] used to go to Quarry Green shops, but here we are today, because we seized those opportunities.
"But those opportunities have to be there for children, for young people, because ultimately they are our future.
"So I think it's integral and it's a necessity that we fund these things that we give people."
It's not just for potential career opportunities either, as even if someone doesn't go on to become a professional actor, musician, or artist, they might still get a lot of joy out of the community that the arts can provide.
Graham went on to say that 'blaming the kids' after taking away community resources takes away resources which might help them.
"You can't keep blaming the kids because you're taking away the community centers and you keep taking away the youth clubs," he said.
"What do you expect them to do? You have to feed them with knowledge."
Adolescence can be streamed on Netflix now.