Adolescence star Erin Doherty, who plays pragmatic clinical psychologist Briony Ariston in the Netflix drama, has shared harrowing details about a "scary" on-set encounter with one of her youthful co-stars.

The 32-year-old actress detailed how Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper), the character Briony must evaluate for trial regarding the murder of his classmate, transformed from affable to menacingly manipulative on screen. She described the change displayed by Owen's portrayal as "genuinely scary."

Recalling the intense moment, Erin admitted to Variety: "It was genuinely scary," because an actor lives for those moments where reality blurs into the fictional world you're portraying. "It's every actor's dream to get to a place where you forget yourself and you are in this strange reality that you've created. It sounds bizarre, but you genuinely do believe it in the moment."

On top of sharing this spine-chilling switch, Erin heaped accolades on the young Owen Cooper, age 14, for his remarkable performance, especially since it marked his debut on television. She expressed immense pride in watching Owen push his acting boundaries: "I'm so proud of Owen because I got to see him push himself as an actor, to really go there. Back then, he was this kid and he didn't want to be this scary thing, especially with someone he just met."

Erin also divulged how she delved into her role's psyche; she reached out to a former therapist to immerse herself in the daily life of a therapist and to enter the correct headspace for the role.

Speaking to Metro, Erin revealed her method of preparation: "I think particularly psychologically, people who are in that line of work are very in the moment.

"I was conscious that what you needed to see was someone who was present rather than having that context. So I basically did my research and then let it all go, in order to serve the piece as best I could."

Alongside Erin and Owen, Adolescence also stars Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham, who play Manda and Eddie, Jamie's parents, reports Surrey Live.

The show's synopsis reads: "In an English town, police break down the door of a family home and arrest Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy, on suspicion of murder of a classmate, Katie Leonard. Jamie is held at a police station for questioning, and then remanded in custody at a Secure Training Centre.

"Investigations at Jamie's school, and questioning by a forensic psychologist, reveal that Jamie has been deeply disturbed by school bullying via social media centred on incel subculture."

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix