Danny Dyer has revealed that he is planning to watch Jack Thorne’s hit crime drama Adolescence with his 11-year-old son, Arty, saying that the ’empty void’ of masculinity needs addressing.
The former EastEnders actor, 47, revealed how he has been been captivated by the Netflix show, starring Stephen Graham, and especially by its impressive, one-shot production.
Disucssing it with daughter Dani, 28, on their Live And Let Dyers podcast, he quipped: ‘It’s such an important subject but the fact they’re doing it one take. As an actor and being part of that world I find it f****** incredible.
‘Bearing in mind it’s been an hour of this f****** camera following everyone around. It’s just unbelievable.’
He added: ‘So, Steve [Graham], you’ve got to roll me into something. I want a bit of this!’
However, the actor revealed he had been equally transfixed by the show’s hard-hitting nature, which delves into several pressing themes affecting young people today, such as toxic masculinity and social media.
Danny Dyer has revealed that he is planning to watch Jack Thorne’s hit crime drama Adolescence with his 11-year-old son, Arty
The former EastEnders actor, 47, revealed how he has been been captivated by the Netflix show (pictured with son Arty)
He warned: ‘We do need to address this empty void, this space for masculinity that’s been completely vacuous.
‘If boys are struggling, for some reason, and so Andrew Tate exists. I don’t know what that means yet, but I’ll know more once I’ve watched it [all].’
Danny added: ‘And maybe I will watch it again with Arty, this might be a good thing to do. Young boys need to watch it.’
Dani added: ‘It’s really opened up that conversation now and made people understand the effects and knowing what is actually going on. Brilliant bit of TV that is.’
It comes after the director of Adolescence has celebrated after it was announced that the hit Netflix drama will be made available for free at secondary schools across Britain.
Philip Barantini posted a celebratory Instagram story saying ‘We did it’ as the four-part show continues to spark conversation on how to protect young boys from misogny on social media.
Netflix’s decision comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with creators of Adolescence at Downing Street this week.
Mr Starmer, who admitted he ‘found it really hard’ to watch the programme with his teenage children, said he supported the decision to make the ‘groundbreaking’ series available at schools.
‘As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you – it hit home hard,’ he said in a statement after the meeting with co-writer Jack Thorne.
He warned: ‘We do need to address this empty void, this space for masculinity that’s been completely vacuous’ (Danny and Arty pictured starring in Marching Powder together)
The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death
It comes after Adolescence director Philip Barantini has celebrated after it was announced that the hit Netflix drama will be made available for free at all schools across Britain
‘As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they’re seeing, and exploring the conversations they’re having with their peers is vital.’
Showing the series will ‘help students better understand the impact of misogyny, dangers of online radicalization and the importance of healthy relationships,’ his office added.
Mr Thorne, who has said that children should not be given smartphones until they turn 14, added the show was made to ‘provoke a conversation’ and ‘what we really hope is it’ll lead to students talking amongst themselves’.
The drama explores how online influencers, such as self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, can impact children’s views and lead them to violence.
The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny.
The show’s protagonist Jamie Miller is played by Owen Cooper in his acting debut, while his dad Eddie is played by Stephen Graham.
Danny’s mention of Arty comes just after he was forced to cast the youngster in his new film Marching Powder because ‘no other kid would be allowed’ to take the role.
The actor plays Jack, a middle-aged dad who has six weeks to turn his life around, stop fighting at football, kick his habit, and save his marriage.
Danny’s mention of Arty comes just after he was forced to cast the youngster in his new film Marching Powder because ‘no other kid would be allowed’ to take the role (pictured in the film)
The actor plays Jack, a middle-aged dad who has six weeks to turn his life around, stop fighting at football, kick his habit, and save his marriage
Written and directed by Nick Love, Danny was involved in the project from the start, with Stephanie Leonidas playing his wife, Dani.
However, due to the chaotic nature of the film, finding someone to play their son was challenging.
The actor cast for the role would need to be young and exposed to some of the film’s mature content.
Arty had never considered acting before, but when Nick asked if he would be interested in playing the part, it turned out he was keen -especially for one part in particular.
The Rivals star told LADbible: ‘Now, he had a little monologue, and at the end of it, he says the C-word, which he was very excited about.
‘I didn’t know if he could even learn dialogue. So I gave him this chunk and I said, ‘learn that, and then I’ll see if you can do it’.
‘And he came back to me, he learnt it within five minutes, just because he rushed the first few sentences, so he could get to say the C-word just because he’s allowed to say it.’
