Adolescence star Stephen Graham says recognition ‘nice’ but not his motivation

Golden Globe winner Stephen Graham has said securing an award was not his motivation behind the hit Netflix drama Adolescence, telling ITV’s This Morning that achieving critical acclaim is “not why we do it”.

Graham co-created, wrote and starred in the Netflix hit, which has kicked off the awards season with wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards.

In an interview on This Morning, the 52-year-old discussed the success of Adolescence and spoke about how he did not set out to receive an award when he created the show.

Graham said: “It’s not a game of footy. Do you know what I mean? It’s not a competition what we do.

“It’s subjective. It’s art. Art is subjective. It means different things to different people.

“It’s nice to be acknowledged by your peers. But ultimately, that’s not why we do it.”

Adolescence is a four-part drama which follows the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who has been accused of murdering a classmate.

At the Golden Globes, Adolescence saw its stars Graham, Cooper and Erin Doherty respectively named best actor in a TV mini series, best supporting actor in a television series and best supporting actress.

He said winning the award was “exceptionally surreal”, and added: “It didn’t feel real. It was a wonderful experience.”

The show also won the prize for limited series, anthology series or television motion picture, and earlier this month at the Critics Choice awards it received the same four prizes.

Graham also discussed the second season of hit show A Thousand Blows, which launched on Disney+ earlier this month.

He is an executive producer on the show and stars in it as Henry “Sugar” Goodson, a bare-knuckle boxer in the East End of London in the 1880s.

Speaking about how his character came to be, Graham revealed he is based on a photograph, and said: “It was this beautiful image of a black man who looks so regal, majestic and full of grace.

“And instantly, I’m curious, because I’m a mixed race kid myself, so I never got to see men like this.

“You want to know how he’s been able to take that photograph, what’s happened to him in order for him to be there in that part of his life.”

He said that the image inspired his wife Hannah Walters, who also is an executive producer on the show, to ask creator Steven Knight to build “something” around this idea.

The show, which launched in 2025, is based on a true story, and follows Jamaican immigrants in the bare-knuckle boxing circuit in the East End of London.

A Thousand Blows season two is available on Disney+.