When Adolescence Star Stephen Graham Wanted To Adopted Young Thomas Turgoose
Before Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham introduced Thomas Turgoose to the industry, forging a close bond with him around 2006.
Stephen Graham is known for championing new talent, often propelling them to overnight fame by providing opportunities to showcase their skills. A testament to this is 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who landed the lead role in the recently released Netflix blockbuster Adolescence with Graham’s support. While both actors are receiving critical acclaim for their performances, fans are also praising Graham for his off-screen generosity.
Stephen Graham, in a chat recently, noted that the highlight of the show is Owen Cooper’s raw and emotional performance as he took on the role of a teenage murder suspect Jamie Miller, portraying it with much nuance. Before Cooper, Graham is known for introducing This is England co-star Thomas Turgoose with whom he developed a bond around 2006.
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At the age of 13, Turgoose played Shaun-a lonely boy who finds comfort among a group of much older skinheads, headed by Combo. During the same period, the young artist lost his mother to cancer. Given his tragic condition, Graham and director Shane Meadows were deeply affected so much so that they even considered adopting him privately if the issue of his living arrangement wasn’t resolved quickly.
In a chat with The Independent recently, Turgoose said, “I was made a promise by Stephen Graham and Vicky [McClure] that when This Is England was released, it wasn’t just gonna be ‘That’s it.’ They promised to stick by me and support me."
Furthermore, in an episode of the Private Parts podcast in 2021, the child artist also revealed, “I spent a lot of time with Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham. They agreed between them that if they didn’t get on with my dad, or if they didn’t see my dad fit to bring me up, they were gonna adopt me."
Following the tough phase, Turgoose and his father developed a good relationship while Graham continued to extend his support beyond filming. Talking about the bond with his father, Turgoose also mentioned, “But they met my dad. And my dad is a proper bloke! He’s worked his arse off his whole life, and he’s respectable. Me and my dad are best friends now, whereas, when I moved in with him, I didn’t know him."
Meanwhile, Stephen Graham’s Adolescence Cooper is already on a roll as he landed in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming Wuthering Heights alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
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