The heartbreaking tactic Adolescence used to make that final scene even more emotional
It made Stephen Graham cry instantly on set
Adolescence shot every episode in one continuous take to make the Netflix series feel as real and raw as possible, but that’s not the only tactic they used.
The director Philip Barantini has revealed he did something heartbreaking, and almost a bit cruel, to make Stephen Graham cry on set in the final episode.
In the last scene, he cries as he sits on his 13-year-old son Jamie’s bed and realises what he has actually done, and they stuck pictures of the actor’s real family on the wall to make him emotional.
For the final take, the director asked the art department to print pictures of Stephen, his wife and their two kids and put them in the bedroom alongside a note that said: “We love you. We’re so proud of you.”
The photos weren’t visible on camera and Graham had no idea they were there. You can actually spot the moment that he notices them in the series, making the scene feel so raw.
“If you watch the scene closely, he looks over to the right-hand side, and he spots the pictures and the notes. It broke him open,” Barantini told Netflix.
Credit: Netflix
“The other takes before that were very different. They were all still incredibly emotional. But that last take, which we used, was real, raw, and unexpected from him as well.”
Graham agreed: “They got me to the core. So the taps just opened up.”
The actor also spoke about the tactic in an interview with the Radio Times, saying: “On that final take, my wife and my two kids were there as well.”
Most Read
“And so, when I go into the bedroom, what they’d done was they put some pictures on the wardrobe, and it said, ‘So proud of you, we love you, dad’. And it was pictures of my two kids, Grace and Alfie, who I adore.”
“So that kind of sparked that last, final scene in that moment as well while I was thinking of [Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie], who I’ve had the most amazing experience with.”
So much thought was clearly put into every little detail.
For all the latest Netflix news – like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Featured image by: Netflix
Latest
Calling student musicians: Applications are open to perform at Winestock 2025
Be in with the chance to perform at Bristol Uni’s biggest end-of-year celebration
Better late than never: stolen Cambridge University clock hand finally returned
A missing clock hand has been returned nearly a century after a student prank
Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall surprises Leeds Student Radio
Jade revealed her favourite Leeds night out
Pro-Palestine protester attacked with box-cutter in ‘hate crime’
A man approached a protester calling them a ‘Jew’ before slashing their cheek with a box-cutter
‘Technical fault’ causes major University of Edinburgh IT outage
IT services such as Learn, MyEd and the Eduroam WiFi network were disrupted
Save those pennies: The top spots in York to use your student discount
Your wallet will thank you later
What your University of Birmingham study space says about you
Whether it’s assignment season or not, we all have that one go to study space. So here is what that special place says about you…
Almost half of Scottish adults support charging for university tuition
Many adults support some assistance, but feel like those who can afford to pay should have to contribute
All of Jamie Laing’s eccentric side hustles and how much bank they make him
How has he got so many plates spinning?
Duke University slams The White Lotus in statement after using its name in ‘troubling’ scene
The uni says the show used its brand without permission
Calling student musicians: Applications are open to perform at Winestock 2025
Be in with the chance to perform at Bristol Uni’s biggest end-of-year celebration
Better late than never: stolen Cambridge University clock hand finally returned
A missing clock hand has been returned nearly a century after a student prank
Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall surprises Leeds Student Radio
Jade revealed her favourite Leeds night out
Pro-Palestine protester attacked with box-cutter in ‘hate crime’
A man approached a protester calling them a ‘Jew’ before slashing their cheek with a box-cutter
‘Technical fault’ causes major University of Edinburgh IT outage
IT services such as Learn, MyEd and the Eduroam WiFi network were disrupted
Save those pennies: The top spots in York to use your student discount
Your wallet will thank you later
What your University of Birmingham study space says about you
Whether it’s assignment season or not, we all have that one go to study space. So here is what that special place says about you…
Almost half of Scottish adults support charging for university tuition
Many adults support some assistance, but feel like those who can afford to pay should have to contribute
All of Jamie Laing’s eccentric side hustles and how much bank they make him
How has he got so many plates spinning?
Duke University slams The White Lotus in statement after using its name in ‘troubling’ scene
The uni says the show used its brand without permission