Stephen Graham’s description of himself as “just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby” during his Emmy acceptance speech has set off a wave of surprise across social media, with many viewers admitting they had not known the British actor has Jamaican heritage through his father. The remark came as Graham, 52, accepted outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for the Netflix drama Adolescence at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on 14 September. “This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me,” he said, before thanking his family and paying an extended tribute to his wife and producing partner, Hannah Walters.
The speech reverberated well beyond the auditorium. Within hours, posts highlighting the line circulated widely, with one user quoted by entertainment site LADbible writing: “Stephen Graham is JAMAICAN?!?! The amount of BBC dramas I have watched this guy in I would have never known until his speech.” Another reportedly said: “finding out stephen graham is Jamaican bc he called himself mixed race.” The outlet’s round-up captured dozens of similar reactions, reflecting how an actor known for playing white, working-class northern characters has, for many viewers, kept private a family history he has discussed in interviews but that has seldom been foregrounded in coverage of his work.
Graham’s wording at the Emmys was not new for him, but the global stage amplified it. A video clip shared by The Independent showed him repeating the “mixed-race kid from Kirkby” line, a formulation he has used previously when asked about growing up in the Liverpool satellite town and about how his background informs the roles he chooses. The newspaper’s write-up noted his Jamaican heritage on his father’s side and said Graham has spoken in the past about experiencing racism as a boy. In March, The Guardian profiled the actor as a “working-class, mixed-race kid” who has made a virtue of bringing Scouse voices to prestige film and television.
The Emmys marked a landmark evening for Adolescence, the six-part series Graham co-created and produced, and in which he plays a father whose 13-year-old son is arrested for murdering a schoolmate. ABC News reported that Graham delivered multiple speeches as the show collected a haul that included best limited or anthology series and writing for a limited series, with Graham sharing the writing award alongside Jack Thorne. In his remarks after the series win, he stressed the set’s egalitarian culture: “Whether you was number one on the call sheet or number 101, we were treated equally.” The series’ supporting actors also took home trophies, with 15-year-old Owen Cooper becoming the youngest male winner of supporting actor in the category.