Viewers of This Morning hit back at Ben Shephard as he was accused of being “unprofessional” during his interview with Adolescence star Owen Cooper.
The 15-year-old actor currently stars in the Netflix phenomena, written by fellow actor Stephen Graham, as the lead role of Jamie Miller. The show has since sparked discussions about its portrayal of male violence and its potential to divert attention from issues of men’s violence against women.
On Thursday (March 27), he appeared on This Morning to discuss his blossoming acting career alongside Faye Marsay, who also appears in the same series. However, while cracking a joke with the rising star, one of Ben’s comments seemed to rub viewers the wrong way…
Ben Shephard meets Adolescence star Owen Cooper
While talking about the huge success of the show, Ben initially asked how Owen had felt about the reception.
Declaring everything had been going “well so far”, the teenager said he didn’t have much to complain about after not reading anything “bad said about me”.
Since the release of Adolescence, Owen revealed he hasn’t seen his school friends yet as he has been busy working on another project. However, he shared that he is set to return to school next Monday (March 31).
Owen is currently filming for the upcoming 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, where he will play young Heathcliff and will star alongside Barbie actor Margot Robbie.
While discussing the Australian superstar, Owen said he speaks to and sees her “all the time” despite not having any scenes with her. Ben then asked how Margot is, to which Owen stated: “She is really nice.”
However, Ben took things one step further and joked: “I think your mates might be interested in that coming back.”
Owen laughed the harmful joke off and quickly continued to discuss filming for the movie.
Viewers slam Ben for ‘unprofessional’ interview
Following the interview, viewers seemed unhappy with Ben’s joke about Margot, believing it was inappropriate given Adolescence’s focus on the treatment of women.
“Great interview. Apart from when Ben Shephard suggested that Owen and his friends would want to talk about Margot Robbie for obvious reasons. I thought it was presumptuous and unprofessional,” one user wrote.
“Yes, a bit clumsy of Ben considering the topic of adolescence,” a second remarked. “Bit weird,” they added.
“Why wouldn’t teenage boys get excited about Margot Robbie? She’s a great actress, if my friend was working with her I’d talk to them about her too,” another countered.
Others also praised Owen’s acting potential.
“This kid is so talented. He showed his acting skills is so natural. I hope he’ll get more TV shows or series and movies in the future,” one person wrote.
“Such a humble, down-to-earth young man who is exceptionally talented. His acting was so natural (like he wasn’t even acting). Looking forward to watching his future projects,” another said.
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