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When Erin Doherty got a voice note from Stephen Graham asking her to join Adolescence, she didn’t even think twice. Known to many for her amazing performance as Princess Anne in The Crown, Doherty was all in to play Briony Ariston — a psychologist tasked with evaluating a 13-year-old boy accused of murder.
Laughing during a Zoom interview with W magazine, Doherty joked, “I usually avoid answering my phone like the plague, and Stephen knows that about me.” But for this project, she made an exception — and clearly, it paid off. Since its premiere on March 13, the British miniseries has blown up globally, smashing Netflix records and sparking massive conversations about social media’s dark side and toxic masculinity.
Adolescence didn’t just grab viewers; it caught the attention of people in power too. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer even suggested the show should be required viewing in schools. Meanwhile, the writers got invited to Parliament to discuss serious changes — like raising the minimum age for kids to join social media.
The way the show was filmed made it even more unique. Each of the four hour-long episodes was shot in a single continuous take — no cuts, no breaks, just pure, real-time action. Doherty’s very first scene with newcomer Owen Cooper (who plays Jamie) followed this intense style. “I was desperate to have my moment doing the one-shot thing, and it didn’t disappoint,” she said. “The second they yelled ‘action,’ I just became Briony. It was so freeing.” The cast rehearsed like crazy and shot two full takes a day over five days — picking the best version for the final cut.
For Doherty, it felt like a perfect throwback to her theater days. She called it a beautiful mix of theater energy and film magic.
Even though in the show, security footage makes it pretty clear Jamie is guilty, Briony (and Doherty) approached the story with hope. Briony walks into their session wanting to believe there’s still good in him — even though, deep down, she knows the truth. By the end, reality hits hard. Doherty said Briony is grieving not just what the boy did, but what he could have been.
To really nail the role, Doherty reached out to her old therapist and did deep research into real-world therapy techniques. She didn’t want to fall into the tired trope of a cliché “TV therapist.” She wanted Briony to feel layered, human, and real.
Looking at where she’s at now, Doherty admitted she’s still at the early stages of her screen acting career — and she’s loving it. She’s not planning on sticking to one type of role either. With so many different stories and sides of human nature to explore, she’s excited to keep trying new things.
Reflecting on Adolescence and its massive impact, Doherty said she feels incredibly lucky to have been part of a project that struck such a deep chord with people. Even though the story is dark and unsettling, she sees it as a sign of something positive — society is finally waking up to the fact that we need to do a much better job of protecting and supporting kids.