Owen Cooper, who recently made history as the youngest male actor to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance in Netflix’s Adolescence, had a dream come true just before the awards ceremony: A surprise visit from his acting idol, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Jake Gyllenhaal surprises Owen Cooper
The heartwarming moment was captured in a video by Netflix UK’s Instagram. The video starts with Owen talking about Jake Gyllenhaal being his favourite actor on different occasions. Then it shows Jake walking down a hotel hallway with a small gift box in hand, visibly nervous about meeting the young star. Meanwhile, Owen was in the middle of an interview when the actor walked in, leading to an emotional reaction. Completely stunned, Owen could only repeat “Oh my god” as he jumped up to hug Jake, clearly overwhelmed by the surprise.
In a touching gesture, Jake gifted Owen a small golden duck, a good luck charm with a meaningful backstory. “I made this movie (Brokeback Mountain), and I got nominated for an Academy Award,” Jake explained. “A friend of mine sent me something just like this. It’s a lucky duck. To give you a little bit of luck.”
The moment wasn’t just sweet, but personal. Owen has long been vocal about his admiration for Jake Gyllenhaal, often calling him a huge inspiration. Sharing photos from the meeting on Instagram, Owen wrote, “Honour and a privilege to meet an icon of the game like Jake — will never forget it.” He also admitted that meeting Jake had been his “number one priority,” a long-time dream fulfilled at the perfect time.
Jake broke the emotional tension with a playful jab, saying, “I just came by because he’s just been talking about me too much, so I figured I’d stop it and get it done.”
Owen and Jake’s upcoming projects
Fresh off his Emmy win and this unforgettable encounter, Owen is set to appear in his next project, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Jake has a packed slate of upcoming films. He will star in M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural thriller Remain (releasing October 2026) and in his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride, a remake co-starring Christian Bale and Penélope Cruz, set for March 2026.
He’s also set to return for a sequel to Road House and is part of Guy Ritchie’s action film In the Grey, alongside Henry Cavill and Eiza González.
