Photo: Mark Seliger for New York Magazine
For New York Magazine’s first annual “Culturati 50 Issue,” we surveyed Lorde, Parker Posey, Lola Tung, and other culture-makers who have shaped entertainment this year on what they watched, read, and listened to in 2025. See the full survey results here.
Owen Cooper’s 2025 is the dream for any young actor. As the bone-chilling center of Adolescence, in which he portrays a teenager accused of murdering a female classmate, 15-year-old Owen Cooper became one of the youngest winners in Emmys history.
Introducing the Culturati 50
Read the Culturati 50’s ‘Year in Culture’ Lists
Sinners. I’m a big fan of Michael B. Jordan. He’s a real good actor. The first film I watched him in was Creed. The Creed movies are just amazing. I watched Sinners on the plane when I was going to New York. Sometimes with films I think, Oh, when’s this film gonna be over? Something like that. But I just wanted more. I didn’t want the film to end. It was energetic the whole way through. I didn’t know what was gonna happen next. The scene when Michael B Jordan’s character opens the door and sees the vampire-like white guy? That proper disturbed me.
Superman. I don’t really watch superhero films. I watched the Spider-Man films, but that’s about it. But the new Marvel films, I don’t really watch. I think I’ve watched Man of Steel, which was a Superman movie that came out like ten years ago or something like that. I liked that and I thought I’d give this new Superman a go. It was so good. Like, it was unbelievable. I always prefer the hero.
Stranger Things. I didn’t realize how good the show was. I think I watched it when I was about 8 years old. Gosh. I didn’t really know what was going on. Now I’ve rewatched it and I’m on season two. For that first season, I think Stranger Things is the best series ever made. It’s better than Breaking Bad. It’s better than The Walking Dead. It’s better than whatever series. I love everything about it. With the new season coming out, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I might just open the gifts in my bed while watching Stranger Things. And the finale is coming out on New Year’s Eve as well, so gosh, I’m gonna have to cancel some plans for that.
Squid Game. I watched it when it first came out in lockdown. It’s just different from any other show. I don’t know how some guy just thought in his head, Oh, I’m gonna make a game with 456 people and each game’s gonna kill people with guns. And whoever comes out on top wins money. I don’t get how someone could even think of that. It’s so different and unexpected. The first season was the best. The new season got spoiled by one of my friends, so I didn’t really watch the ending because I already knew what happened. But that last season was so good. I said to the guy who spoiled it for me. I said, When I watch Stranger Things I’m gonna spoil it for you. Because he loves it. I’m just gonna tell him everything.
The Inbetweeners. I genuinely think it’s the funniest piece of television I’ve ever watched. Even thinking about it makes me laugh. Me and my friends know all the quotes. We know everything about it. It’s not even a guilty pleasure. I’m proud to watch. It’s just, it’s so stupid. Like it’s the stupidest show but it’s so good. Me and my mates have debates on it, like, which is the best episode? My favorite ever is when the lads go to the Caravan Club. Or the one where all the lads get in a car and they go clubbing in London.
People Watching, by Sam Fender. I love that guy to bits. When I was doing Adolescence, Wuthering Heights, and Film Club, on the way to the sets I put his tunes on. If I had a tough scene at the end of the day I was worried about, or that I didn’t really wanna do, I stuck his tunes on and forgot about it. I listen to his music every single day. Him and Oasis as well.
Stranger Things on Broadway. I don’t really go to the theater and stuff like that to watch plays. But I got invited by Netflix and obviously I loved Stranger Things. So I went and I didn’t realize how it’s like watching it in the cinema. It’s all the technical stuff — like there were flares going and everything. It was so loud. It was like the loudest thing I’ve ever been to. I’m gonna forget his name, but the guy who plays Henry Creel. I think he got nominated for a Tony. He was really good.
The Overlap. It’s got all the ex–pro footballers in it. They’ve been in the game for a long time. And they don’t even really talk about football. They just have a chat and I like listening to what they have to say. They played football in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Some of them can talk a bit rubbish on the internet, but I love them. It’s something that you can have on in the background. I had it on in the plane as well. I watch it before I go to bed. I don’t like to “listen” to it. I have to watch them.
As for video games, I bring my PlayStation when I’m on a job. So nice. I’m literally on it like 24/7 playing FIFA and Football Manager. I’m on it all the time home with my friends. I’m the best in the friend group with Football Manager. There’s a bit of luck to it. You get your players, you put them in a team, you put them in a formation, and you do your tactics. And then you let your players go for it. You can’t control the players. You do the background stuff, like signing players and stuff like that. I’ve got like three months on that game. Bragging rights is definitely the best feeling.
Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. I think that’s the best performance of all time. Daniel Day-Lewis sent me, Stephen, and us all a message saying how good Adolescence was. If you’re unrecognizable in a film, that means you’re a good actor.
Oasis at Heaton Park. I’ve been a fan since I was about six. In 2021 or 2022, I got really close with them. I knew all the tunes, I knew all the lyrics through every song. Then there were talks of them coming back in 2024. I was like, Oh, I need to get tickets for this. I’ve still got an alarm on my phone saying, Eight o’clock Oasis get tickets. I was on the way to the set for Adolescence, and I looked on my Instagram Oasis posted a video saying, We’re doing a U.K. and Dublin tour! I was like, Oh my God! I had five tickets. Nice. I was front-standing. I went with my mom, my dad, my brother, and my friend. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I like Liam more. I had an Oasis bucket hat, top jacket, everything. I have no videos on my phone because I didn’t really take any. I was just enjoying the moment. It was the best night of my life. They’re talking about coming back next year. I honestly don’t know if I wanna go again because then it would spoil the first time. But I’m definitely gonna go. Definitely.
Liverpool winning the Premier League. Liverpool are doing really bad this season, but last season we were the best. The Premier League is the hardest. It’s the best league in the world. It’s the hardest to win. My favorite player at the moment is Mohamed Salah. He’s probably the most famous on our team. He’s been the best foot. He’s been there for a long time as well. I just love the whole team. I went to a game with Millie Bobby Brown. We went down to the pitch and met quite a lot of them. She was filming Enola Holmes 3. and I went to the set because [Adolescence director Philip Barantini] was directing that as well. Millie loved Adolescence. She rings me now and again. We’re quite good mates. I’ve met Jake, Millie’s husband, and he’s like my best mate, really.
⬜ Eddington
⬜ Materialists
⬜ Fantastic Four
☑️ The Last of Us: I played both the games, and when I heard there was a series coming out, I thought, Oh, they’re gonna ruin it, they’re gonna ruin the game, they’re gonna ruin the whole franchise. Then I watched it and it shocked me because normally when they make films about games, they don’t make it about the game and they make it into their own story. But The Last of Us was perfect. They did it really well. It’s quite scary though at times.
☑️ Yes: “Get You Down,” by Sam Fender
⬜ No
⬜ HBO
⬜ Apple
⬜ Disney
⬜ Criterion
☑️ Netflix
⬜ YouTube
⬜ Timothée Chalamet at the SAG Awards (“I want to be one of the greats”).
⬜ Hannah Einbinder at the Emmys (“Go Birds, f*ck ICE, free Palestine”).
⬜ Kieran Culkin at the Oscars (“I will give you four when you win an Oscar”).
⬜ Chappell Roan at the Grammys (labels should “offer a livable wage and health care”).
⬜ Demi Moore at the Golden Globes (“I do belong”).
☑️ Other: Stephen Graham’s at the Emmys 2025. I don’t really remember what he said. I was so shocked about everything that happened that night. I loved seeing him up there. It was like a dead-proud moment. When we were all up there when Adolescence won the show, whatever category it was in, Steven was up there again. The night in general was so good. I’m never going to forget that night.
⬜ X
⬜ Bluesky
⬜ Facebook
☑️ Instagram: I go on Instagram Reels, have a little scroll, see who messages me. I always send my mates Reels and see what they’ve sent me. And then look at people’s Stories and see what they’re doing. I message my mates on Snapchat. I go on TikTok constantly. But on Instagram, I’m just scrolling and doing stupid stuff. Florence Pugh sent me a nice message. You won’t know this guy, but Fabrizio Romano messaged me. He was the first. He does all the football-transfer news. He’s got like 40 million followers. Noah Schnapp messaged as well. I met him on a plane. I was on the same flight as him. Afterward he messaged me, saying, “Well done on the Emmys” and stuff like that. But Fabrizio Romano was just so out of the blue. I didn’t expect that at all. I have this thing where it’s only verified people I can see. No one can message me on Instagram. It’s only people who I follow.
⬜ TikTok
⬜ None, I quit social media
Production Credits
-
Portfolio by
Mark Seliger -
Styling by
Daniel Edley -
Additional Credits: Executive production by Ruth Levy; production by Madi Overstreet; postproduction by Rachel Crowe; tailoring by Susan Balcunas; style assisting by Grace Providencia Wagner and Lexi Lang; digitech by Will Foerster; photo assisting by Reggie Desilus and Jonas Søndergaard. -
Owen Cooper: Grooming by Rheanne White using Bumble and bumble at Tracey Mattingly; wardrobe by Bottega Veneta (full look), Bulgari (jewelry).
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