British actor Stephen Graham is making headlines with a star turn in the top Netflix show “Adolescence,” and for the little-known news that he is mixed race.
“Adolescence” tackles internet culture, misogyny and high school in a compelling four episode mini series. Set in a quiet British community, police raid a suburban home and arrest a small teenage boy from his bedroom while his parents are aghast. Investigators peel back the layers of whether Jamie is guilty of murdering his classmate Katie.
Graham has revealed in interviews that his grandfather was Jamaican and he identifies as mixed race. In past roles he contends with this directly. He recalls getting mercilessly bullied, and returning to that in his acting career propels his craft.
In “Adolescence,” Graham plays the accused’s father, Eddie. Although not the most high-profile name, he has had roles in a number of high-profile productions, including “The Irishman,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Gangs of New York.” Graham channels an intensity that immediately rings true and has won him the most prestigious acting award in the UK, a BAFTA.
The inspirations for “Adolescence” were the rising knife attacks on teenage girls in the UK, the outsized influence of internet cultures on children and the notoriety of misogynist Andrew Tate.
Scenes were filmed in one take, and a central one is when the therapist is peeling back the layers of Jamie’s mental state. We see toxic masculinity on full display in the 13-year-old in a fit of rage. He’s shaking, screaming points of the red pill manifesto. Graham’s character is shattered with the realization that his son is not someone he recognizes.
Graham is accustomed to playing emotionally intense roles, but his heritage does influence how he approaches the roles and how they affect him off-set. An early role in the film “This Is England” made him cry because it brought back how difficult it had been to be taunted for his racial background, according to The Daily Mail.
Graham’s roles inspire difficult conversations about the shape of society and families.
Will there be a second season of “Adolescence” in which Graham can continue to probe how ordinary people react to societal change? That’s not clear yet, but he continues to express interest in exploring issues related to the pressures modern children face.
