Owen Cooper won his first Golden Globe at the 2026 Golden Globes for his performance in Adolescence, and the 16-year-old gave a speech that shared more about his journey with acting (with some charming self-deprecation).
Cooper took home the award for Best Supporting Actor on Television and spoke as his costars in the critically-acclaimed Netflix drama looked on tearfully.
“Standing here at the Golden Globes, it does not feel real whatsoever. What an incredible journey me and my family have been put through,” he said to laughter in the crowd. "We are forever grateful for what these people have done for me and my family.
“You know, what started off as, what I thought I might be OK at, I might be awful, I took a risk and I went to drama classes. I was the only boy there, it was embarrassing, but I got through it,” he smiled. “I'm still very much an apprentice, I'm still learning every day. I'm still learning from the people who are sat in front of me who inspired me.”
Cooper ended his speech by saying, "Bring on 2026, you'll never walk alone. Good night!"
Golden Globes 2026 watchers were clearly charmed by his award speech, mentioning the “You'll Never Walk Alone” reference. In case you're not up to speed, the phrase is an anthem for Liverpool FC. Cooper grew up nearby in Warrington, England, but he's a documented Liverpool Football Club fan. The song has been sung at Liverpool games since the early 1960s, and it has “become the soundtrack of hope for the club, its fans and for the City of Liverpool through extremely tough times,” notes NBC Sports.
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It's another major award to add to his accolade shelf; Cooper won Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie at the 2025 Emmys last fall. He also won the Critics' Choice Award last week. Safe to say his drama classes paid off.
