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From a TV talent show to the precipice of cinematic glory, could this be Jessie Buckley’s year to etch her name into history with an Academy Award?
The acclaimed Irish actor is now considered a frontrunner for an Oscar following her Golden Globe triumph for Best Actress in a Drama for her compelling portrayal of William Shakespeare’s wife in “Hamnet,” which also secured the Best Film award.
The island of Ireland could witness a double Oscar celebration, as Maggie O’Farrell, the Northern Ireland-born author behind the award-winning novel that inspired the film, may receive recognition as a co-writer of the screenplay.
“Hamnet” was co-produced by Steven Spielberg, who conveyed his admiration for O’Farrell’s book to the Golden Globes audience.
In her acceptance speech, Buckley expressed, “This is a true honor, and I cherish being a part of this industry.”
She elaborated, “It was an extraordinary set to be involved in, as we recounted the story of arguably the most renowned Briton ever, guided by a Chinese director, a wealth of Irish talent, and a predominantly Polish crew, alongside our British counterparts.”
Paul Mescal, Buckley’s Irish co-star who played Shakespeare, received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor but was ultimately bested by Stellan Skarsgård.
Buckley, who initially gained prominence as a teenage contestant on the BBC West End talent competition “I’d Do Anything” 18 years ago, previously earned an Academy Award nomination in 2022 for her role in “The Lost Daughter.”
Her Golden Globe victory places her in a strong position to become only the fifth Irish actor to claim the coveted golden statuette, joining the ranks of Barry Fitzgerald, Brenda Fricker, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cillian Murphy.
These awards mark a pivotal moment in the film awards season, preceding the Academy Award nominations on January 22 by less than two weeks.
Buckley, a native of Killarney, County Kerry, has dedicated nearly two decades to film and theatre, gaining recognition for her musical gifts as well as her acting prowess.
She is an alumna of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin, where she pursued studies in singing, piano, clarinet, saxophone, and harp.
As a young girl, Buckley was distinguished among approximately 40,000 performers to receive RIAM’s prestigious nationwide High Achiever award in 2001.
At the age of 17, she auditioned for the BBC TV show “I’d Do Anything,” a quest to find an actress to embody Nancy in a West End production of “Oliver!”
She finished as the runner-up in the competition, losing to Jodie Prenger.
Last week, reflecting on her experience on the show, she described it as “brutalizing,” alleging instances of “body shaming and bringing me to femininity school” during the production.
Buckley subsequently declined an offer to be Prenger’s understudy as Nancy, opting instead to seek her own opportunities on the London stage.
She secured a role in Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” at the Menier Chocolate Factory theatre.
Remaining in London, Buckley enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), graduating with a degree in acting in 2013.
Since then, her career has witnessed a steady ascent – TV roles in “Taboo,” “Fargo,” and “Chernobyl”; a critically acclaimed performance opposite Jude Law in a West End production of “Henry V”; and a consistent stream of film work, including “Beast,” “Men,” and “Wild Rose,” where she showcased her vocal talents.
In 2022, she received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for “The Lost Daughter” and secured an Olivier Award for her portrayal in “Cabaret.”
She married in 2023 and welcomed her first child last year.
Brendan Fuller, Buckley’s first cousin, was among her family members who stayed up late to witness her acceptance of the award on television.
He told BBC News NI that seeing her “mentioned in the same category as Julia Roberts” made him realize how far she had come.
“I remember watching ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ with Jessie when I was 12,” Fuller recalled.
“And to see her nominated in the same category and then win the category ahead of a Hollywood icon… we are just so, so proud of her.”
During her school years, Buckley participated in stage productions at Ursuline Secondary School in Thurles, County Tipperary.
“From the moment she took to the stage in the school hall here in the Ursuline, it was clear Jessie had a special talent,” the school stated on Monday.
“It serves as an inspiration for Ursuline students to see one of their own recognized on the global stage.”
Faculty at RIAM in Dublin also expressed immense pride in their former student, according to the academy’s head of artistic programming, Ciara Higgins.
However, she emphasized that Buckley had “carved her own pathway” and achieved success “on her own terms.”
“I don’t think we can claim any of that, but it’s just wonderful to be a little of a part of that Golden Globes history and, fingers crossed, a little bit of that Oscar history in the weeks ahead,” Higgins added.
Buckley attended stage school in Killarney as a young girl, and the school’s founder, Fiona Crowley, told BBC News NI’s “Evening Extra” programme that her success was “so well deserved.”
“I was very privileged and lucky – I was bringing her to and from rehearsals, guiding her along as best I could, even though she didn’t need much guidance,” Crowley said.
“Jessie has risen to heights nobody could have dreamt she would go to,” she added.
Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel, “Hamnet” presents a fictional narrative exploring the lives of William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes, and their family.
It portrays the death of the couple’s son, Hamnet, and examines how it might have influenced Shakespeare’s theatrical masterpiece, “Hamlet.”
It garnered six Golden Globe nominations and won two, including Best Film.
“I think what’s very different about winning an award like this is [that] it signifies a really communal effort, you know?” O’Farrell said.
“It’s a kind of family – it’s the ‘Hamnet’ family and we all made the film together, and everybody has been recognised, which is just really, really lovely.”
O’Farrell was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, to Irish parents but spent her formative years in Wales and Scotland.
Earlier this month, she shared with BBC News NI that her native country exerted a significant influence on her life.
“I mostly grew up in Britain, but we would visit Ireland all the time throughout my childhood. It is a very important part of my identity and who I am,” she said.
O’Farrell conducted extensive research into Shakespeare’s life for her novel, but she acknowledged that there remains an “awful lot about his biography we don’t know.”
“There is not a lot written about Shakespeare’s wife or his mother or his daughters,” she said.
“They are people whose history has been written in water, and they are very much footnotes in his story.”
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