Odds On What Stephen Graham Will Do Next After Emmys Success

_{Stephen Graham celebrates his Emmy win for "Adolescence," with bookmakers already speculating on what the acclaimed actor will do next. (Image: UPI/Alamy Live News)}

Adolescence was one of the big winners at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards - and a huge reason for that was Stephen Graham.

The British actor co-created the Netflix psychological drama with top screenwriter Jack Thorne, and its impact has been astonishing.

Adolescence, which is Netflix's second most-watched English-language series of all time, had already scooped several awards before the Emmys, but their six-accolade win, including Outstanding Limited Series, will have meant a lot to the creators.

If you looked at the odds just hours before the Emmys began, you would've expected Adolescence - which told the story of 13-year-old schoolboy Jamie Miller, who is arrested for the murder of a fellow pupil - to do well.

Breakout star Owen Cooper - who played Graham's on-screen son Jamie - made history as the youngest-ever male recipient of an Emmy, aged 15, after he scooped an Outstanding Supporting Actor prize.

He was 1/100 in places, but the show exceeded further expectations.

Graham was second favourite to win Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Jamie's dad Eddie Miller, with The Penguin's Colin Farrell likely to triumph instead.

However, Graham overcame his odds and scooped victory - much to the delight of his family and Adolescence co-stars, who mobbed him when Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow read his name out.

The This is England star has several future projects already lined up, including the forthcoming thriller film Good Boy, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month, but following his Emmys success, talk has turned to what else he might do next. 

Graham Remembers His Roots 

One of the most poignant parts of the star-studded bash was Graham's Outstanding Actor acceptance speech, in which he thanked the Adolescence team but touched on some more personal reasons for his success.

Graham - who had a Jamaican grandfather - told the crowd, "This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me. I’m just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby.

"For me, to be here today in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the utmost humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life, and it shows you that any dream is possible."

While playing out his acting dreams, Graham has never distanced himself from his Merseyside roots, and that was no different on the Emmys stage.

The lifelong Liverpool FC supporter was clearly delighted with this Outstanding Actor win, but he could go one better and be awarded the Freedom of Liverpool next.

Accomplished screenwriter Jimmy McGovern - who Stephen worked with on BBC prison drama Time and anthology series Accused - received such recognition, which is the highest honour a local council can bestow, in 2022 for his contributions to the city’s film and TV industry.

Stephen is Evens to follow in the screenwriter's footsteps next and just 5/4 to receive a knighthood for his incredible contribution to the film and TV industry.

Graham has previously admitted representing where he is from is "integral" to him. Speaking to The Sunday Times in February, he said, "Things can be hard but there’s also a lot of laughter.

"My childhood was full of it and being able to represent where I’m from is integral to me. Too often I’ll watch stuff and think they’re treating the working class like an art project. It’s very condescending. ‘Ooh, look at the poor!’ But I’m proud to be this mixed-race, working-class kid from a block of flats."

The star has also called for more writers like McGovern - known for penning powerful series - in the entertainment industry.

Graham said, "That working-class sensibility of a writer is not represented enough - we need to find the next Jimmy McGovern."

Unbeknown to him, Graham may have stumbled across that person - himself.

Adolescence 2?

Graham elevates everything he touches, and Adolescence was no different.

As well as the incredible writing and acting from Cooper, Graham, Erin Doherty - who also won an Emmy Award for her Adolescence portrayal - and others, the series has become known for its cinematography because each episode was filmed in just one continuous take.

Following the show's monumental success, Stephen and co. are under pressure to make a follow-up, or at least a similar type of drama series - and it looks to be in the works.

He told the Daily Mail newspaper, "Right now we are having talks and discussions about finding another story. I think we have to be tight-lipped at the moment. And we're all talking at the moment. The same concept with the idea of doing something in one take."

It's 11/8 that Graham et al. create another Adolescence-style series before he is awarded Freedom of Liverpool or scoops a knighthood.

But it is a 7/1 outsider that Graham and Cooper will ever reprise their roles as Eddie and Jamie Miller. 

The actor added, "We will not see more from this family. This family is finished. But the format and how we make the programme will continue."

Graham has also been linked to the next James Bond movie (2/1). He would be the perfect Bond villain, but he's even a long shot to take on the still vacant role of the suave spy himself.

While that looks unlikely, Graham has certainly done better relationship-wise than 007.

He has been married to his wife and regular co-star, Hannah Walters, since 2008, and he paid her the ultimate compliment in his Emmys acceptance speech.

He said, "There are too many people to thank, but I am going to thank my friends and family - without you, none of this is possible. And thank you for helping me with something I can't do on my own.

"I wanna bring it to my dad for taking me to the video shop when I was a kid and starting my education in film. My kids, Grace and Alfie, and my adorable wife, whom I love with every ounce of my being.

"You are my rock, you are my world, you are my soulmate and you know and I know that without you, I would be dead. So, from the bottom of my heart, I love you with everything I have."

It's just 3/1 that the happy couple renew their wedding vows next.

_{Stephen Graham celebrated his Emmy win for "Adolescence" alongside his wife Hannah and children Alfie and Grace. (Image: Todd Williamson/AP)}

Graham previously admitted the pair work hard on their union, telling The Sunday Times, "We have ups and downs, of course. Luckily, though, the relationship we both have with our children is beautiful - but it takes work."

Oscars Buzz

The Peaky Blinders star has also worked tirelessly throughout his acting career, and it would be one of life's great travesties if Graham retired without ever winning an Oscar.

He is 4/1 to scoop an Academy Award next, but he needs the right project first.

One way Stephen could land an Oscar could be in a collaboration with The Pitt star Noah Wyle, who he is a huge fan of.

The pair caught up at the recent Emmys ceremony, where Graham praised Wyle for "phenomenal acting" in The Pitt and said he led the show "like a true captain."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stephen also told Wyle that he and Hannah have "loved" him since his days in the medical drama ER.

Following the string of compliments, Wyle thanked Graham and said he hopes to work with him one day, and Hannah - who co-founded production company Matriarch Productions with Stephen in 2020 - could be heard saying, "We'll make that happen."

It's 5/1 for the pair to appear alongside one another next, and Graham is 8/1 to reprise his role of Scrum in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

As well as his incredible acting exploits, Stephen is also no stranger to a music video.

He first appeared in Travis' Turn in 1999 and most recently starred in Sam Fender's Spit of You in 2021, with appearances in the likes of Arctic Monkeys videos for When the Sun Goes Down and Fluorescent Adolescent, as well as many others, in between.

He's 10/1 to appear in a music video next, but he's likely to be inundated with offers from TV and film bosses first – and maybe even a few cheeky cameos on some bolded internal prompts to the best online UK casinos, where the drama plays out on the reels instead of the stage.