Jessie Buckley, this year’s leading contender for Best Actress at the Oscars for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, has captured significant attention with her deeply nuanced performances. The Irish actress is now widely celebrated for her portrayal in Hamnet, propelled into awards conversations for her powerful embodiment of Shakespeare’s wife. The film, paired with the growing buzz surrounding Maggie Gyllenhaal The Bride, marks a pivotal moment in Buckley’s flourishing career.
Known for her capacity to convey complex emotions, Buckley has been hailed by The Observer as
“one of the most exciting actors of her generation,”
and Vanity Fair highlights her “dazzling charisma and remarkable authenticity.” The New York Times notes her
“reputation for playing complicated roles with devastating power,”
emphasizing her bravery in exploring challenging, sometimes unlikable facets of her characters.
Memorable Roles That Defined Jessie Buckley’s Career
Although only 36, Buckley’s decade-spanning career includes a series of critically acclaimed performances across film and stage. She earned a BAFTA nomination for her lead role as a Scottish ex-con aspiring country singer in 2018’s Wild Rose. In 2021, she featured in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, portraying a conflicted young academic—this role earned her BAFTA, Spirit, and Oscar nominations in the supporting actress category. Her work in the 2022 film Women Talking, which chronicles a Mennonite community grappling with collective trauma, brought her a Critics Choice Award nomination and a cast ensemble nod.
Yet, it is her emotionally raw depiction of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet that has elevated Buckley’s artistry to new heights. Reviews like those from Rolling Stone advocate that
“they will be talking about Jessie Buckley’s performance for years.”
Having won Best Actress awards from the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA, Buckley stands as a favorite for the Academy Award, solidifying her growing stature in the industry.
From a Childhood Surrounded by Music and Theater to a Rising Star
During a recent conversation at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival—where Buckley was honored with a career retrospective—the actress reflected on her journey from humble beginnings in Ireland to international acclaim. Raised in Killarney, a scenic town on Ireland’s west coast, Buckley grew up living in the shed behind her father’s large guest house, which had 28 rooms, acting as a gateway to a diverse array of visitors and a unique early exposure to the world.
Her mother, a musician and music psychotherapist specializing in palliative care, instilled in Buckley a profound connection to music and storytelling. Buckley remembers her mother’s performances as “essential,” noting how seeing strangers moved to tears sparked her own artistic calling:
“Whatever that is, I want to do that.”
Jessie admits she never saw herself strictly as an actress initially, inspired equally by music and theater in an amateur dramatics company from a young age, with an early love sparked by the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.
The Early Challenges and Breakthroughs in Acting
Her pursuit of acting saw early setbacks: Buckley auditioned for the Guildford School of Music and Drama but was rejected. Though initially devastating, this rejection became a turning point, teaching her patience and resilience in a demanding career. Shortly after, she auditioned for a BBC talent show, I’d Do Anything, at age 17, where she finished as a finalist among thousands trying out for the role of Nancy in a West End production of Oliver Twist.
Despite the exposure, she describes the experience as a difficult period of self-discovery, navigating public scrutiny and emotional volatility. While her family remained in Ireland, Buckley embraced the opportunity to step into a new world in London, adopting an adventurous spirit, even when that meant risking dangers posed by unchecked curiosity.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Early Theatre Work
Following the BBC show, Cameron Mackintosh generously sponsored Buckley’s participation in a four-week Shakespeare workshop at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. This introduction profoundly altered her artistic perception, exposing her to the “bottomless” power of Shakespeare’s language. Although unable to immediately enroll as a full student, she remained in London, working various jobs while strengthening her theatrical craft.
Financial support from Tony, a theatre enthusiast who noticed her singing, enabled Buckley to attend RADA as a full-time student, graduating in 2013. Her early stage roles included Shakespeare performances at the Globe and collaborations with esteemed actors such as Judi Dench in The Winter’s Tale and Jude Law in Henry V. She recalls being deeply inspired by Judi Dench’s performances, particularly the raw humanity Dench embodied.
Transitioning to Screen Acting and Admiration for Early Cinema
Buckley expanded her interest toward screen work, drawn by her mentor’s recommendation to experience American agents but initially feeling unprepared. She credits figures like Katharine Hepburn and Judy Garland, and directors like Lars Von Trier, for shaping her understanding of film art. Her breakout role in Michael Pearce’s debut film Beast (2017) marked a personal milestone and an artistic awakening, blending ferocity and nuanced complexity.
Her subsequent roles in the limited series War & Peace and the critically lauded Wild Rose further cemented her reputation. The latter earned her accolades and introduced her to exploring the dynamics of motherhood and ambition through the story of a country singer striving for success. Further film and television work included notable projects like Judy, where she worked alongside Renee Zellweger, and the Emmy-winning miniseries Chernobyl, portraying a pregnant woman affected by the nuclear disaster—an event personally significant due to its resonance in Ireland.
Diverse Roles and Artistic Growth Leading Up to Major Accolades
Buckley’s roles have often challenged societal norms around identity and gender. Her performance in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, directed by Charlie Kaufman, gave her a chance to work in surreal, artistically daring surroundings. She also embraced a darkly complex nurse role in season four of Fargo. Her collaboration with Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Lost Daughter was especially impactful, recreating the younger version of a character played by Olivia Colman and further cementing Gyllenhaal’s importance in her artistic world.
In 2022, Buckley’s work in films underscored themes of toxic masculinity in Alex Garland’s Men and Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, addressing patriarchy and personal agency in distinct ways that resonated deeply with the #MeToo era’s cultural shifts. These performances contributed to her growing status as an actress attuned to complex social explorations.
Jessie Buckley’s Role in The Bride and Its Personal Impact
Buckley discusses her involvement in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reinterpretation of Bride of Frankenstein, titled The Bride, which premiered March 6. This film represents the largest-budget project of her career and allowed her to explore broader emotional and physical dimensions alongside Christian Bale and Gyllenhaal. Buckley describes The Bride as radically reimagined—eschewing traditional expectations of a silent, voiceless wife in favor of a character demanding acknowledgment for her full humanity:
“Oh, shit. We’re in some dodgy territory here. This girl is screaming? Shut it down!”
– Jessie Buckley, Actress
“If you really want to love, and if you really want to be in a relationship with me, how much of me can you actually love? Not just the nice bit, the bit that’s palatable to you. You want to know the truth? This is the truth.”
– Jessie Buckley, Actress
She reflects on how the Film’s intensity profoundly affected her, opening emotional channels she carried into her subsequent role in Hamnet. Buckley points out the short two-week gap between completing The Bride and starting Hamnet rehearsals, noting how this timing kept her creative energies vibrant and embodied for the latter role.
On Set Chemistry and Innovative Filmmaking in Hamnet
Buckley first met director Chloé Zhao at a film festival, and although they had not worked directly together prior to Hamnet, a chemistry test laid the foundation for their collaborative journey. The pair developed a working relationship marked by mutual trust, vulnerability, and a willingness to explore the unknown, without hierarchy or reservation. Zhao’s unconventional directing methods, involving guided meditation and dream work with cast and crew, enabled Buckley to delve deeply into the unconscious elements of her character.
The actress explains how dreams and abstract writing helped her “stir the waters” of her performance, allowing spontaneous moments to surface during filming. One particularly powerful example is the primal scream upon learning of her son’s death, an unplanned and profoundly visceral moment on camera, made possible by the emotional connection she shared with young co-star Jacobi Jupe.
Meaning Behind the Final Scene and Agnes Shakespeare’s Emotional Journey
Buckley interprets Agnes’s character arc as one shaped by profound grief and emotional seclusion, discovering that she had not actually witnessed her husband’s plays before the climactic scene at the Globe Theatre. The final sequence symbolizes the transformation of grief into immortality through storytelling, a “magic trick” performed by Shakespeare in the narrative, immortalizing their lost son Hamnet.
She recalls the intimidating atmosphere of performing in front of an audience of 400 strangers, but found solace in the music of Max Richter, which underscored a shared human experience of mourning. This sequence poignantly captures the blend of isolation and connection inherent in profound loss.
Navigating Fame, Awards, and Personal Life Amid Intense Public Attention
Despite the acclaim and frequent appearances in high-profile award ceremonies like the Oscars Nominees Luncheon, Buckley remains grounded and reflective. Though moments of discomfort in the spotlight are frequent, such as feeling out of place at glamor events, she treasures the tangible aspects of her life, like caring for her young child:
“I’m a real person, I’m a real person!”
She speaks candidly about the awe and disbelief of sharing spaces with cinematic greats such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloé Zhao, and Delroy Lindo. Recognizing the uniqueness of these experiences, Buckley remains motivated to continue creating art and cherishes the support and inspiration gained from longstanding influences.
This moment in her career, with Hamnet and the anticipation of Maggie Gyllenhaal The Bride, highlights Buckley’s impressive range and commitment to exploring evocative storytelling that challenges conventions, underlining her growing impact on contemporary cinema and theatre.
