Irish actress Jessie Buckley claims best actress Oscar for her powerful performance as Agnes in ‘Hamnet’, completing a remarkable journey from reality TV to Hollywood’s highest honour.
DUBLIN: Irish actress Jessie Buckley completed a spectacular rise to Hollywood’s pinnacle by winning the best actress Oscar for her role in ‘Hamnet’.
The 36-year-old received the award for her searing portrayal of Agnes, William Shakespeare’s wife, in director Chloe Zhao’s acclaimed adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel.
“This is really something,” an emotional Buckley said from the stage. She hailed her fellow nominees, saying she wanted to work with all of them.
Buckley described Agnes as having “a strong, wide open heart and a mother with an epic landscape inside her”. Her performance captivated audiences and moved many to tears.
The win caps a dominant awards season where Buckley swept precursor prizes including the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award and a BAFTA. On Sunday, she bested nominees including Emma Stone and Kate Hudson.
In February, on becoming the first Irish woman to win the BAFTA best actress award, she dedicated it to “the women past, present and future that have taught me and continue to teach me how to do it differently”.
She directly thanked author Maggie O’Farrell, telling her “You brought the mother out of the shadows, and you stood her in absolution beside the giant that is Shakespeare”.
Buckley didn’t have a child when she filmed ‘Hamnet’ but became pregnant “a week” after finishing the project. She gave birth to a baby girl in autumn 2025.
Born to artistic parents in County Kerry, Buckley credits her upbringing for shaping her instincts. At home, “music, writing and expressing yourself was really nurtured and respected,” she said.
She first gained attention as a finalist on the 2008 BBC talent show ‘I’d Do Anything’. Although she didn’t win, judges urged her to pursue formal training.
Buckley graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2013 and quickly secured Shakespearean roles. Her career expanded with television parts in ‘War and Peace’ and HBO’s ‘Chernobyl’.
Her film debut came in 2017’s ‘Beast’, followed by a BAFTA-nominated lead role in 2018’s ‘Wild Rose’. She earned her first Oscar nomination in 2022 for best supporting actress in ‘The Lost Daughter’.
An accomplished singer, Buckley won an Olivier Award in 2022 for her role in ‘Cabaret’. That same year, she released a folk album with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler.
Buckley lives in Norfolk with her husband, a mental health worker she married in 2023. She has spoken openly about overcoming anxiety and panic attacks through therapy.
Her current project is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Bride!’, where she co-stars opposite Christian Bale as the bride of Frankenstein’s monster.
The Sun Malaysia
