The Scene Was So Difficult I Couldn’t Bear It, Says ‘Adolescence’ Star Owen Cooper

Emerging actor Owen Cooper has spoken out in a new interview to talk about the emotional heartbreak of shooting his new film, Adolescence, an experience that led to one tough scene that Cooper found he just could not do. The movie which takes the young actors through some harsh and sometimes painful realities of growing up, required all the actors of their age which was quite a challenge since they had to be vulnerable in the film.

Cooper, who has previously been known to deliver convincing and realistic roles, was presented with a fork in the road cropping up before him in the form of a critical scene in the script; one in which he had to face one of his most painful memories of the past as portrayed in his character.

The Weight of Memory: Cooper’s Emotional Block

The character, an eighteen-year-old male, was in a situation of grief over the loss of a loved one and his character was written in such a manner that he undergoes a strong breakdown episode whereby he plays back the scene in which the event takes place. It was not just an act, but a clash with the actual figure of grief itself to Cooper. He described the feeling of emotional block that counteracted his previous efforts, and he felt that this occurred after several times he tried doing it. No longer about the acting, he said.

It was more realistic, more local. I could not make myself go there.” This failure to detach himself from the suffering of the character prompted a stubborn dialogue with the director in which they eventually agreed to revise the scene. This quite vulnerable scene of Cooper indicates the extremely stressful and emotional work that the young actors usually provide in depicting complicated characters.

Redefining Strength: A New Kind of Breakthrough

This proves that the choice the director made to change the scene, states much about a team spirit and caring atmosphere on the set of the film “Adolescence.” Instead of having Cooper actually do the scene as it was causing him immediate distress, they collaborated to come up with something that elicited a similar effect but by other means. The innovative solution turned out to be a breakthrough of the film and the actor.

The last shot of the scene, though not in line with the original screen story, divulged a greater more intimate look of silent and internalized pain and demonstrated the flexibility of Cooper and his comprehension of emotion. This experience on Adolescence brings a priority of how sometimes it is stronger to endure, and how some other moments it is better to surrender and make a step in another direction.

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