Jessie Buckley 'overwhelmed' by role in Oscar-tipped Hamnet

Jessie Buckley is earning early awards-season buzz for her portrayal of Agnes in Hamnet, the Oscar-tipped adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel. The film explores the emotional origins of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, focusing on the grief and resilience of Shakespeare’s family after tragedy strikes their young son.

Buckley, who stars opposite Paul Mescal, described the experience of playing Agnes as both challenging and profoundly rewarding.

“She was the full story of what I understand a woman to be,” Buckley told BBC News. “And their capacity as women, and as mothers, and as lovers, and as people who have a language unto their own beside gigantic men of literature like Shakespeare. It was honestly one of the biggest privileges of my life to live beside and inside this amazing woman, Agnes.”

The film centers on Agnes’ relationship with her son Hamnet, which provides much of the story’s emotional weight. Buckley admitted she initially feared whether she could portray the character authentically, particularly as someone who hadn’t experienced motherhood or the loss of a child herself.

“I was conscious and scared of whether I could portray the character and story as honestly and bravely and humanly as possible,” she said. “But I know love, I know great love… I’m just trying to get a little bit more human in what I understand of being alive.”

Directed by Chloé Zhao, who won the Oscar for Nomadland, Hamnet also stars Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, and Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. Critics have largely praised the film: Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave it five stars, noting the adaptation “couldn’t have been done any better,” while Kevin Maher of The Times said Buckley delivers “one of those performances that is for the ages.”

One of the film’s most challenging sequences for Buckley took place at the Globe Theatre, where the first performance of Hamlet occurs. She recalled feeling “terrified” and “completely lost” during the first days of filming, but eventually embraced the vulnerability of the experience, which mirrored Agnes’ own journey. “By day six they were crying, I was crying, I was holding them up,” she said.

Despite stiff competition from other acclaimed female performances this awards season, Buckley’s portrayal of Agnes is currently considered a frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar.

Reflecting on the potential recognition, she remained grounded: “I’m so proud of this film. I’m so excited to share it with the world… You make it for an audience. And the rest is out of my, you know, I’m just going to get into the river.”

Hamnet promises to be both a critical and emotional highlight of the 2026 awards season, showcasing Buckley at the peak of her craft in a role that explores love, loss, and humanity at its most raw and powerful.