Gary Oldman, the Oscar-winning actor known for his role in Slow Horses, has highlighted the importance of grassroots drama training amid the success of the Netflix series Adolescence. The show, which won multiple Emmys, features 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy for his portrayal of a teenage murder suspect. Cooper credited his training at Drama MOB in Manchester, a community drama club, for helping him land the role.
Oldman, who began his career at Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, noted that drama schools across the UK are in crisis. Bristol Old Vic theatre school is not taking undergraduate students for the first time since 1946, and Rose Bruford College has reported financial difficulties. The number of students taking drama at GCSE and A-level has plummeted since 2010, according to the Campaign for the Arts.
The success of Adolescence has drawn attention to the lack of working-class representation in TV and film. Almost half of British stars nominated for major awards in the last decade were privately educated. However, shows like Mr Bates vs the Post Office and I May Destroy You, written by Michaela Coel, who grew up in Tower Hamlets and won a bursary to Guildhall School, demonstrate the importance of nurturing talent from all backgrounds.
Oldman emphasised that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not, echoing a sentiment from Idris Elba. He called for more support for grassroots drama training, especially outside London, to ensure that young actors like Cooper and Coel can continue to emerge. The government has promised to address the decline in arts education under the previous administration.
