Meet Michael Cooper Jr., the Newcomer Who Plays Justin in Netflix's 'Forever'

Netflix's new romance series Forever introduces subscribers to a new imagining of Judy Blume's lovestruck teens. Created by Mara Brock Akil, the show based on the 1975 book follows Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) and Keisha Clarke (Lovie Simone), two L.A. teens coming of age in 2018, who fall in love throughout their senior years of high school.

Forever's great TV romance is powered by the two stars' undeniable chemistry and breakout performances, with Cooper bringing a nuanced, vulnerable portrayal of Black boyhood to life. Now that the 23-year-old's biggest role yet is out on Netflix, read on below for everything to know about Michael Cooper Jr.

Michael Cooper Jr. decided to pursue acting thanks to a production of 'High School Musical.'

Michael Cooper Jr., 23, was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Unlike other young actors who start pursuing an entertainment career early, Cooper initially planned on only doing acting as a hobby. In fact, during high school, he was on a similar initial path as his character Justin, involved in sports and planning to attend a good college.

In a HuffPost profile, the actor said he was "a very academic student," adding, "I always tell people that I was meant to be a lawyer or something else." He described his acting journey as starting out in church plays before auditioning for the school musical, High School Musical, as a sophomore. After landing a role, he asked a castmate who was a professional child actor how they got into it.

"Everybody’s like, ‘It’s difficult,'" he told WWD of his love of acting. "It’s hard and it is difficult, but I have this thing where when I get tunnel vision, I get kind of obsessive. And so I was learning everything, staying up late, learning how to break down scripts, character analysis. I was doing all this work behind the scenes."

Cooper only acted for three years before landing his leading role in 'Forever.'

After graduating high school a semester early at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper began auditioning for short films and commercials while also studying political science at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech. (He graduated from Texas Tech in 2024.) His first big roles were in the 2022 horror movie The Inhabitant, followed by the Paramount+ film adaptation of On the Come Up, based on the book by The Hate U Give author Angie Thomas.

The actor first heard about Forever in early 2023, in what felt like "divine timing," per HuffPost. Just a month early, during Christmas with his family, Cooper had learned that his mother loved reading Judy Blume books as a kid.

"We talked about Judy Blume, not knowing that I was about to receive a script based on Forever.... It was kind of like this weird thing. I was like, Mom, we just had a conversation about this. It was happening," he told the outlet.

Cooper says his personality is more similar to Keisha than Justin...including being a blocker.

Throughout Forever's press run, Cooper has made it clear that, though he drew on some real-life similarities to his character for his performance, including a breakup he experienced during filming, he and Justin are very different people.

"He’s so different than me," the actor told HuffPost. "I always say I’m a little bit more like Keisha. She knows where she wants to go, and she seems to be a little bit more in control. Justin is kind of all over the place."

One similarity he shares with both teen characters is seen in their phone activity. Throughout the series, Justin and Keisha block each other's numbers, so much so that it sparked discussion when the show aired. When asked for his thoughts by Refinery29, Cooper admitted that he will go to those lengths if needed.

"Look, I'm not a blocker, but if I need to block, I will block. You know what I mean?" he said. "Don't try me." However, when his co-star Simone admitted she never blocks, he responded, "That's fair. That's fair."

Cooper Jr. says it's important for teen boys to see a character like Justin on screen.

Cooper has also noted that Forever is an important moment for Black TV, as Justin is different from the difficult teen boy shown in the media. To research the role, the actor spoke with real-life high schoolers, and he's proud to make a show for them.

"I visited a private school in Atlanta to [be a fly on the wall and observe teenagers] and when I tell you there are so many Justins. I would sit and talk with them. And they’re not represented," he told Tudum. "All we see [represented] are these hard guys, with these ripped bodies, and we want to see someone who’s real."

Cooper also spoke on the importance of playing such a vulnerable character when speaking to Refinery29.

"If I'm going to be honest, I was nervous to step into Justin," he said. "He's such a vulnerable and such an emotional guy. I was like, 'My guys are going to make fun of me for sure about this.' But there was this line that he said he had one foot in confidence and the other in insecurity. And I thought there was something so palpable and raw about that. I think it's important because I've never seen a [character like] Justin on screen before. It's important for young boys to really see someone who's able to communicate in that way."