Owen Cooper had one worry on his mind while filming Netflix hit Adolescence: what if his friends treat him differently after the show?

In a new interview with Dazed, Owen discussed his life after the global success of Adolescence, which made him the youngest male Best Supporting Actor Emmy winner.

Despite his newfound global fame, the 15 year-old is continuing his studies and will sit his GCSE exams next summer.

And his friends and teachers all treat him the same as before.

“My friends aren’t really bothered. They messaged me saying ‘well done’, but they don’t really care,” he told the magazine.

He continued, “The teachers cared, obviously – they were going mad about it. But my friends don’t really look at stuff about me on the internet. And I’m actually glad that they don’t – when I was filming the show, I did think, ‘What if everyone changes? What if all my friends change?'”

“But I still get shouted at by the teachers in school. I still get the mick taken out of me. It’s all good. I’m glad they haven’t changed,” he gushed.

Adolescence followed a teenager Jamie, played by Owen, who gets brainwashed by online mysgogynist content. The show served to highlight the global issue of young boys being taught misogynistic principles online.

Owen also reflected on how the show resonated with people across many countries and cultures.

“When the show came out, I had no idea what to expect. I thought that people might watch it in the UK, but it’s obviously resonated with people and travelled globally,” he noted.

“But when we were on set I don’t think anyone expected it to blow up in the way that it did. So when there was talk about the Emmys, that was mad. No one knew that was going to happen,” he added. 

Owen Cooper has since gone on to star in BBC show Film Club.