Stephen Graham's Career Paradox: Emmy Winner Couldn't Find Work
The British actor behind Netflix's global phenomenon Adolescence reveals how his breakthrough performance in This Is England left him unemployed for nearly a year, despite critical acclaim.
Stephen Graham has become a household name in 2024, largely due to the massive success of Netflix's Adolescence. The show didn't just perform well—it became the streaming platform's second most-watched series ever, surpassing even Stranger Things in viewership numbers. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Adolescence features distinctly British settings like garden centers and high schools, the kind of content typically reserved for quiet Sunday evening television slots.
The Magic Behind Adolescence
The series represents Graham's innovative approach to television production, building on techniques he pioneered with the intense culinary thriller Boiling Point. By filming in continuous takes, Graham created a unique viewing experience that captivated global audiences. The show's success stems from this experimental format combined with Owen Cooper's extraordinary performance as a teenage murder suspect.
While Graham had been building his reputation for two decades, including collaborations with Martin Scorsese, Adolescence finally brought widespread recognition to his extensive body of work. His efforts were rewarded with three Emmy Awards this year, though he'd been earning nominations since his early breakthrough in Shane Meadows' This is England back in 2006.
The Unexpected Career Drought
That 2006 film about 1980s British skinhead culture proved both a blessing and a curse for Graham's career. Despite the movie's commercial success—earning five times its production budget and spawning three television series—Graham faced an unexpected professional setback. "From me being given that opportunity by Shane to do that role in This Is England. I couldn't get a job after that for about eight to nine months. Once that was released, I just could not get a job. It was impossible," Graham recently revealed.
Fortunately, his earlier work in major productions like Scorsese's Gangs of New York provided enough industry credibility to weather this difficult period. By 2009, Graham had bounced back with significant roles in Johnny Depp's crime drama Public Enemies and HBO's acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire, which earned him back-to-back Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Current Projects and Future Endeavors
Since overcoming that early career obstacle, Graham has maintained steady work across both film and television. His projects have ranged from blockbuster franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to critically acclaimed series such as Line of Duty. He reunited with Scorsese for The Irishman, the three-hour Netflix epic featuring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
Graham's current slate includes a role in the Bruce Springsteen biographical film Deliver me From Nowhere and the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie alongside Cillian Murphy. Additionally, his Disney-produced historical boxing drama A Thousand Blows is set to return for its second season on January 6th, further cementing his position as one of Britain's most versatile performers.