The prime minister is talking about it. The News Agents are making a podcast about it. 24.3 million people are watching and WhatsApping about it. 

It’s clear the release of Adolescence is one of the most important cultural moments in recent memory, and we’re hopeful it may bring with it the possibility of real change – something we know is so vital in the wake of Stylist’s latest issue, which looks at the (often terrifying) reality of what life is like for girls today. 

The four-part series is centred on the murder of a teenage girl by 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper) and looks at why a young man from a normal family could commit such a violent act. 

The cast is phenomenal and includes Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty and Owen Cooper. One of the characters I can’t stop thinking about is DS Frank, the partner of DI Bascombe (Walters), who is one of the few characters we hear questioning the misogyny and the othering of women on display.

Frank is played by Faye Marsay, an actor who’s also appeared in Game Of Thrones and Andor, and is currently starring in series two of Ten Pound Poms on the BBC.

Stylist speaks to Marsay about the meaning behind some of the most important scenes and being part of such a vital conversation. 

We’re one week on from the release of Adolescence, and everyone is talking about it. How are you feeling?

I don’t even have the words to describe it. It’s been overwhelming in one sense, but also really affirming that the conversations that we wanted to happen are happening – and on a ginormous scale. I’m not a parent, but a lot of my friends are, and I know it’s having a huge impact on them. It’s like an intense fan club on Instagram from everybody that’s in it, because we’re all sharing pictures. But that’s exactly how it felt on set; we’re all working-class kids who had knocked on each other’s doors and asked, ‘Are you playing out?’ And then we all met and did this.

It feels so timely for us too. The cover of Stylist this week is about the reality of being a young woman in the UK today…

I’m looking at it now, and it’s giving me chills. That’s my niece’s age. I grew up as a teenager in the early 2000s and I am so grateful that we didn’t have social media. I know from my niece and others – you see the anxiety and the shrinking of young women and young girls. I despair. 

Episode two is set in a school where the two detectives are looking for answers. It’s been a long time since I was at school, but it was so instantly evocative. It threw me right back into being 14 again. Tell me about the experience of making that episode. 

We filmed with 300 kids, and they were there for the three weeks of filming. We rehearsed for two weeks, then we shot for a week [they did 10 takes, and the final take was the one that appeared on screen]. A lot of the kids in that episode also go to that school, and so they were in their school environment. And a lot of the teachers you see are teachers there in real life too, which made it so authentic. The kids were brilliant and all so happy to be there.

Does the fact it’s filmed in one shot add to the pressure? Or, in a way, release it as there’s no escape? 

It does both, which I know is a strange answer. On the one hand, there’s the pressure of not fucking up when there are 450 people there and the risk you might miss a line or do something they can’t style out. But you have to take a deep breath and go for it. Stephen and Ashley have said this, and it’s so true: we were like a football team, and it’s the Champions League final and every single person – whether you swiped past the camera once or you’re in lots of scenes – is integral. Also, once they say ‘action’, it’s yours for an hour, which is a beautiful feeling. It makes you feel alive. I think that’s why it’s had such an impact on everybody involved – it was fucking amazing. 

There are a few really important moments in episode two that I think say so much about the wider themes of the piece that I’d love to discuss. For example, when they’re in the classroom, only DS Bascombe’s character is introduced. Was your character purposefully overlooked?

I had a moment where I perhaps thought the same, but I don’t think it was intentional. From what I understand, it was because of the stress of the school day and the police being there. And Bascombe is the lead investigator, so he’s the one asking the questions.

There’s also a really poignant moment where DS Frank says: “Kids just need one person – a teacher, a parent, a friend – to tell them that they’re normal and they’re supported.” Tell me about that.

It’s massive because it’s true to me. I had an English teacher called Mr Berry, who made me feel like my pursuit of wanting to do theatre was a valid one in an environment that’s very working class, and being an actor isn’t meant to happen to people like me. If somebody gives you time and encourages you and wants to listen to you about what it is that makes you feel alive, that is so special and really important.

There’s another memorable moment where your character says: “The perpetrator always gets the front line. We’ve followed Jamie’s brain around this case. Katie isn’t important; Jamie is. Everyone will remember Jamie; no one will remember her – that’s what gets to me.” What does that line mean to you? 

She feels – and I feel – that that’s a really valid point. It’s always: a man rapes a woman, not a woman was raped by a man. It’s never about the woman having any story. And that was really important to say out loud and to be acknowledged. 

In a series full of remarkable, talked-about moments, can you tell me some of the ones you can’t stop thinking about?

It’s so hard to answer because each episode is offering something massive and poignant, so I can’t pick one. In episode one, when we were filming the interview scene, and I knew the CCTV footage [of Jamie attacking Katie] was coming – I feel so sorry for this dad, who reminds me of my dad, whose world is about to completely end as he knows it. In episode two, it’s her feelings about toxic masculinity. In episode three, both Owen and Erin are stunning, and it’s terrifying to see that in-depth look at Jamie’s character. And how Erin’s character holds it… holds it in, and then when Jamie is taken away, she lets it out. In episode four, the thing that absolutely destroys me is Eddie trying to be normal with his family as it’s all falling down around them. And then Stephen putting the teddy bear to bed. It’s too much! 

Adolescence is available to stream globally, now on Netflix

Images: Stefan Bertin, Netflix, BBC 

Photographer & hair: Stefan Bertin

Makeup: Emma White-Turle

Styling: Anna Hughes-Chamberlain