Netflix's Adolescence has captivated viewers since arriving on the streaming site last week.
Co-created by and starring Stephen Graham, the four-part drama focuses on Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a girl at his school.
In just four days, Adolescence hit 24.3 million views, with the show being praised for its storytelling, amazing cast, including newcomer Owen Cooper, and it's impeccable one-take filming style. Netflix recently shared how they filmed each episode in one-go, with it taking a total of 16 takes to produce the fourth and final episode. And while you might think they had every action planned, it turns out there was a bit of improv along the way.
Cooper, who plays Jamie Miller, has now revealed that an unplanned incident made its way to the final cut.
During an appearance on The One Show, the actor was asked how he made sure he didn't make any mistakes while filming. He responded by thanking his co-stars, including Graham and Erin Doherty, who plays the clinical psychologist assigned to Jamie’s case, Briony Ariston.
He said: “The people around me helped me, you know Stephen [Graham], Erin [Doherty] - she's amazing in episode three. And it was just the people around me that I can bounce off of. And it was the script. The script was long, but it was fine because I had the people around me.”
Cooper added that “a lot of it isn't followed by the script,” so the cast mostly “improvised,” which led to an impromptu moment making it to the final cut of episode three.
He continued: “In episode three, it was the second take of the day—we do two takes a day. I was tired, so a yawn came to me. Then Erin did an amazing line, she said, ‘Am I boring you?’
“That took me back and made me smile because it wasn't in the script. I wasn't expecting that at all, but it was amazing.”
In episode three, Jamie sits down with Briony who has been called in to evaluate him ahead of his trial. The conversation gets tense as they discuss masculinity and attraction, with the conversation descending into dangerous misogynistic propaganda.
The episode in particular has been talked about for its “chilling” and “disturbing” undertones.
Following episode three, one viewer wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Well episode three of Adolescence is going to be remembered as some of the best TV all year isn't it. A nauseating, cleanly executed gut punch with some serious work by Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper.”
Another said: “Adolescence episode 3 is fantastic. A verbal tennis match between a young boy accused of murder and the psychologist assessing him. Deeply unsettling, at times downright chilling, in its depiction of the mansophere and how insidiously it sinks its hooks into teen boys.”
Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.
