Stephen Graham urges 'every kid from Kirkby' to dream
ReutersActor Stephen Graham ended his Golden Globe Award acceptance speech by urging "every little kid in Kirkby that has a dream, please don't give up on it".
The 52-year-old, who grew up in the Merseyside town, shared the advice after picking up a best actor award for the hit Netflix series, Adolescence.
He also urged parents to tell their children how much they love them and listen to them when they want to talk.
"I want to say to every parent, please give you kid a massive cuddle. Tell them how much you love them and listen to them when they want to talk to you," he said.
"Make sure the bedroom door is always open and make sure you communicate with each other."
CHRIS TORRES/EPA/ShutterstockGraham won Best Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television for his work on the show, which he starred in and co-wrote.
His speech echoed similar comments he made earlier this year when he received an Emmy for the series in September 2025.
Graham described himself as "just a mixed-race kid from Kirkby" while receiving the award for the series in September 2025, adding: "This kind of thing doesn't happen to a kid like me.
"So 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."
NetflixWritten by Graham and Jack Thorne, Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate.
The show received widespread praise for shining a light on the impact of smartphones and social media on teenagers.
Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty also won best supporting actor (television) and best supporting actress (television) for their roles in the show respectively.
It won eight Emmy awards last year, with Cooper, now 16, becoming the youngest male to win an Emmy award.
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