With a slew of awards and army of adoring fans, it seems Adolescence star Owen Cooper has already reached the dizzying heights of stardom.
But now he has earned not just the approval but the best wishes of one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.
Following his win at the Emmys on Sunday, the 15-year-old breakout star of the Netflix series received a very personal message from none other than Robert De Niro.
After collecting the coveted gong, Cooper’s fellow nominee handed him a note which read: Good luck in the future. Stay humble’.
It came after the teenager flew out to Los Angeles with his parents Andy, an IT worker, and Noreen, a carer, to win Best Supporting Actor for his breakout performance as Jamie Miller in the four-part Netflix show.
The landmark drama series prompted fresh conversations about young men and the ‘manosphere’ and has even sparked conversations within the government.
Filmed when Cooper was just 14, each episode was shot as a single take and showed off the teenager’s acting chops.
Cooper was given a standing ovation as he took to the stage to receive his award from Sydney Sweeney, who gave him a hug after he beat stars such as Javier Bardem to the award.
On Sunday, Owen Cooper, 15, won Best Supporting Actor for his breakout performance as Jamie Miller in the four-part Netflix show Adolescence
After collecting the coveted gong, Robert De Niro (pictured) handed Cooper a very personal note which read: Good luck in the future. Stay humble’
It’s not the first time the actors have met with De Niro sharing some top tips to the young star in March on the BBC One Show (pictured)
And the Killers of the Flower Moon actor has been a staunch supporter of Cooper from the very start.
The actors first met in March on the BBC One Show where the veteran was asked to give Cooper some advice – and he didn’t hold back in his praise of the young star.
De Niro told the actor: ‘Well, I think he’s off to a good start, that’s the main thing.
‘And just keep at it. Keep at it! Do…I mean he’s there. Now it’s common sense, what to do, what not to do.’
His one suggestion was to stay out of trouble and the Taxi Driver actor shared that he was convinced Cooper had a long career ahead of him.
He said: ‘Try to stay out of trouble and all that stuff and you’ll do well. You’ll do well!’
And the relationship between the pair had its roots in Cooper’s very first audition where he was compared to a the generational talent.
Show creator and star Stephen Graham revealed he had compared Cooper to the A-lister at his audition.
Show creator and star Stephen Graham (pictured left) also saw the similarities between De Niro and Cooper, comparing them at the teenager’s audition
During their slot on the BBC show, De Niro told Cooper: ‘Try to stay out of trouble and all that stuff and you’ll do well. You’ll do well!’
He said: ‘You see a rare talent like this once in a blue moon, yeah it’s a talent of a generation.
‘And I came out of the [audition] room and said to his mum “He’s the next Robert De Niro”. I did.’
And it’s not just De Niro who spotted the talent in Cooper.
Another of the teen’s acting heros made a sweet gesture ahead of his win.
Jake Gyllenhaal surprised Cooper before Sunday’s ceremony with a lucky duck – a totem he had himself been given before his Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain.
The small gesture shows that Hollywood is rallying around Cooper and his rising star.
But for the moment, Cooper is focusing on his schoolwork – revealing he even took a pile of schoolwork over to the US with him to secure permission for time off from his local school.
His upcoming releases include Wuthering Heights with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi and the BBC series Film Club.
