Jake Gyllenhaal Surprises Owen Cooper from Adolescence Ahead of the 2025 Emmys
Jake Gyllenhaal presented Adolescence star Owen Cooper with a good luck charm before the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 14.
In a social media clip released by Netflix prior to the awards, 15-year-old Cooper was asked which celebrity he was most eager to see. “I think everyone knows that Jake Gyllenhaal is my top, No. 1,” Cooper responded.
The video then shifted to Gyllenhaal, 44, making his way down a hallway to surprise Cooper, expressing his feelings of being “nervous” and “excited” about meeting the talented young actor.
As Gyllenhaal turned the corner, Cooper gasped, “Oh, my God,” while covering his face with his hands. The two then embraced in a heartfelt hug.
“It’s so great to meet you,” Gyllenhaal said before presenting Cooper with a small gift box. “I made this movie, got nominated for an Academy Award, and a friend of mine sent me something just like this before.”
As Cooper unwrapped the gift, Gyllenhaal shared that it contained a “lucky duck.” “[It’s] to keep in your pocket, to bring you a little luck,” added the Donnie Darko star.
Jake Gyllenhaal surprises Adolescence’s Owen Cooper before the Emmys 😭 pic.twitter.com/qKEwi1iD80
— Netflix (@netflix) September 14, 2025
After the touching moment, Gyllenhaal joked that Cooper had been “talking about me too much” leading up to the awards. “I thought I’d come and put an end to it,” he teased.
Cooper had expressed his excitement about meeting Gyllenhaal, even gushing over the actor during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! recently.
“If I’m sitting next to him, he’s not going to have a good night,” Cooper joked earlier this month. “I’ll just keep talking to him all night.”
Both actors received nominations at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sunday. Cooper won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his performance in Adolescence, making him the youngest male Emmy winner in history.
“Standing here… wow, this is so unreal,” he said while accepting his award. “Tonight proves that if you listen, focus, and step outside your comfort zone, you can achieve anything.”
The 2025 Emmy Awards offered numerous wins, reunions, and surprises for TV enthusiasts. Host Nate Bargatze invited Hollywood’s top actors and actresses to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 14, to honor the best in television. Breaking with the usual format of awards shows, Bargatze faced a challenging night […]
Cooper remarked, “I was just a nobody three years ago, and now I’m here. While this award has my name on it, it truly belongs to the people behind the scenes and the entire cast.”
On the other hand, Gyllenhaal was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role in the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent, but left the night without a win, losing to Cooper’s co-star Stephen Graham.
“Something like this doesn’t usually happen to someone like me… being here today in front of my peers and receiving this acknowledgement is the most humbling experience I could have ever imagined. It shows that any dream can come true,” said the 52-year-old while on stage.
