Jake Gyllenhaal might have lost Best Supporting Actor back in 2006, but he can officially say he passed on a little Emmy magic.
Fifteen-year-old Owen Cooper, who just became the youngest Emmy winner in history, walked into last night’s ceremony with a pocket-sized good luck charm from his hero: a tiny golden duck from Gyllenhaal himself.
Cooper’s fangirl moment started on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he confessed just how much of a Gyllenhaal devotee he really is:
“If I’m sat next to him, he’s not gonna have a good night… I’m just gonna be talking to him the whole night… I could go on forever talking about him, honestly.”
From Jarhead to Donnie Darko to Prisoners, the kid has his Gyllenhaal feature film canon covered.
You can watch the clip at the 3:45 mark below:
- YouTubeJimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
Two days later, fate (and probably a very persuasive Jimmy Kimmel producer) delivered. While Cooper thought he was filming a “fake” interview for Netflix, he was asked what he’d say if he met Jake. Cue Gyllenhaal strolling in from stage left like a rumored Avengers: Doomsday cameo, and Owen immediately short-circuited in the cutest double-take you’ve ever seen.
Once the obligatory hug was out of the way, Gyllenhaal presented him with an engraved gold duck with a special sentiment from his Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain:
“A friend of mine sent me this before. Something just like this. It’s just a Lucky Duck to keep in your pocket. To give you a little bit of luck.”
Adorable doesn’t even begin to cover it.
You can watch the Netflix meet-cute here:
Cooper clutched that duck all the way to the red carpet, proudly showing it off to Entertainment Tonight and gushing about how surreal the meeting was.
And unlike Jake’s 2006 Oscar campaign, the duck came through this time. Cooper made history on Sunday night by winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his chilling turn as Jamie Miller in Netflix’s Adolescence.
During his acceptance speech, he reflected on how he got there:
“Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn't expect to be in the United States, never mind here. But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
You hear that, up-and-coming actors? Stick to those online drama classes!
He ended the speech graciously:
“I was nothing about three years ago, and I'm here now… Who cares if you get embarrassed, you know? Anything can be possible.”
The internet swooned—from Cooper’s adorable charm to Gyllenhaal’s good looks (sorry, good luck charm)—proving that one golden duck can, in fact, break the internet.
Cooper also shattered the record previously held by Michael A. Goorjian, who was practically middle-aged at 23 when he won in 1994. Sorry, Michael—you paved the way so Cooper (and his duck) could waddle straight into Emmy history.
And while the duck made for a sweet red-carpet accessory, it was Cooper’s performance in Adolescence that sealed the deal. As Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old accused of a brutal crime, he carried one of Netflix’s most-watched limited dramas with equal parts raw terror and aching vulnerability.
The role didn’t just make him the youngest Emmy winner ever; it crowned him as the breakout star of the year.
You can watch his acceptance speech here:
- YouTubeTelevision Academy/YouTube
Because lucky charms may help, but turning Adolescence into must-watch TV? That was all Emmy Winner Owen Cooper.
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