Trending Now: Adolescence star Stephen Graham slams Trump government’s cutting of major thing – Fans React

EXCLUSIVE Stephen Graham has made an impassioned plea for the UK and US governments to stop cutting funding to the arts amid their austerity drive, taking aim at President Trump

Award-winning actor Stephen Graham is calling for the UK and US governments to halt funding cuts to the arts sector.

Graham is livid that programs for youngsters interested in cultural endeavors have been hit in recent years. Graham is expected to win at the Golden Globes ceremony (Jan 11) as his Netflix drama Adolescence cleaned up at the Critics’ Choice Awards, winning four honors, including Best Limited Series.

Graham expressed his concerns about the UK and US governments’ pushback on the arts, because he feels that there are important stories about families. Graham feels that ministers need to invest in more creative ventures for young people to encourage them to thrive and steer them clear of troubles. He spoke of his pride in his cast and crew being “working class,” showing the reality of modern-day challenges in UK society.

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The 52-year-old star knows the drama impacted audiences because so many want to discuss the drama when he is shopping in UK a supermarket.

A 2025 UK report revealed an “arts apocalypse” for the youth amid cuts. Trump’s regime has shredded arts funding across the United States, including publicly funded TV, radio, arts programs, museums, cultural institutions, and theater. Graham admitted he is “of course worried about the cutbacks that have been made across both countries.”

“Art is integral for humanity to continue. Do you know what I mean? To keep the spirit of their life. We are all working-class kids, and we’re from working-class backgrounds.

“And if we didn’t have the support of our families and if we didn’t have those brilliant teachers in school or the Everyman Youth Theater, and Ashley has set up a school himself, because he’s having to pass that knowledge onto other kids and he’s trying to create opportunities,” he continued.

“Me and Christine (actress Christine Tremarco, who played the mother of Jamie Miller) used to go to Quarry Green shops (in Merseyside), but here we are today, because we seized those opportunities,” Graham recalled, adding, “But those opportunities have to be there for children, for young people, because ultimately they are our future.”

“So I think it’s integral and it’s a necessity that we fund these things that we give people. You can’t keep blaming the kids because you’re taking away the community centers and you keep taking away the youth clubs. What do you expect them to do?” he retorically asked.

“You have to feed them with knowledge. And the phones are a great thing, but in the same respect, there’s nothing better than that interaction with a human being.“So make the government put their hands in their pockets and pay for the arts.”

His co-stars and production team members clapped after his comments. Stephen spoke for over four minutes about the importance of how successful dramas, like Adolescence, help shed light on topics in society, making audiences reflect on their plight.

“Art is important as a human species. We need to produce art. And sometimes as actors and as creatives, producers, writers, directors, we have the opportunity to come into your home and try and make you think a little bit.

“I think that’s what our programme did. It was made as Ashley (Walters) said, and as we’ve all said, it was made with love, with integrity, with humility, with a lot of compassion for the subject that we were telling; but ultimately, for us, it was made with a lot of fun and a lot of joy.

“Most importantly, it was made with love. We all cared for each other. We all looked after each other. That resonates occasionally, do you know what I mean? It comes through the screen. And for us to be able to be given this opportunity, not in a way of ramming it down anyone’s throat or telling anyone what to think in any way, shape or form, but just being given that opportunity to be able to tell intelligent stories and treat the audience with intelligence and allow them to have that experience through watching it,” Stephen declared.

He then recalled, “A fella came up to me in Tesco’s, and he said, ‘Thank you for the conversation I had last night with my son. We watched it together and we had a really good talk about stuff that we’ve never spoken about before.’

“All this stuff (Critics Choice Awards) is lovely and it’s great. The acknowledgement from our peers is wonderful. And the critics and you guys, it’s wonderful. But nothing can touch what we have all been a part of, which can kind of maybe change people’s attitudes a little bit, let them look at things slightly differently.”

Stephen also teased plans for a sequel to Adolescence despite his wife Hannah insisting, “We have done Adolescence. We have dropped the mic, we have got all these wonderful accolades and attention and we are going to gracefully walk away and say thank you very much.”

Stephen then shouted to the press as he left the media room: “We may do something a few years down the line.” Hannah reacted, “Shhhh. I wasn’t going to say that.”

Stephen also spoke beforehand on how powerful, thought-provoking content discussed on TV and in movies helps audiences examine societal issues.

“The human condition, human soul needs this kind of stuff. We need art. Do you know what I mean? It’s how we live.”In April the National Education Union has warned of an “arts apocalypse” in education as 93% of children in state schools are being excluded from the arts due to a lack of funding.