Phrasemaker

If you have been on the internet at all during this awards season, you’d know that Jessie Buckley is currently sweeping the floor for her heartbreaking performance of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, winning the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. 

She’s also winning the hearts of the public with her endearing and charming demeanour, which only makes you root for her more. She’s personable, relatable, and such a force of nature.

But who is Jessie Buckley and where have you seen her before?

Who Is Jessie Buckley?

Buckley grew up in Killarney, a town in Country Kerry in southwestern Ireland and is the oldest of her four siblings. She attended an all-girls school called Ursuline Secondary School, where her mother also worked as a vocal coach, prompting her to perform in school productions through the years. 

I’d Do Anything (2008)

But her very first time onscreen was as a contestant on a talent show that aired on the BBC in 2008 called I’d Do Anything, where she was runner up in the competition.

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

She went on to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2013 and has since built a wonderfully curated career.

What is Jessie Buckley Famous For?

Buckley has been making the rounds in Hollywood for a while, starring in popular television shows like Chernobyl and Fargo. But the breakout role that first put her on the map was Wild Rose.

Wild Rose (2018)

The critically acclaimed film from 2018 saw her play Rose-Lynn Harlan, a woman from Glasgow, Scotland who dreams to go to Nashville, Tennessee and become a country singer after spending a year in prison. Her unapologetically raw performance, in addition to her singing her own vocals in the film earned her an onslaught of awards and recognition in the industry. 

The Lost Daughter (2021)

In more recent years, people may recognise her for her role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut The Lost Daughter, where she played Leda Caruso, alongside Olivia Colman who played the older version of the character, earning her her first Oscar Nomination in 2022.

Other Notable Roles

She has also starred in films like Men, Women Talking, Wicked Little Letters, and The National Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet as well as performing on stage (coincidentally onstage at Shakespeare’s Globe). 

Who Is Jessie Buckley Married To?

Buckley keeps her private life, well, private (and rightfully so). Not much is known of her partner, Freddie, other than the fact that he is a mental health care worker that she met on a blind date – very sweet! They got married in 2023, and welcomed their first child in 2025. 

Though, she does gush about him in interviews on the occasion, and gave him a quick nod during her Golden Globes speech about how much he was “enjoying the free canapes and cocktails.”

What Is Hamnet About?

Hamnet is based on the novel of the same name written by Maggie O’Farrell. Directed by Academy Award winning director, Chloé Zhao, the story tells the somewhat fictional life of William and Agnes Shakespeare, their love, and inevitable heartbreak at the loss of their child, Hamnet. This loss creates an unimaginable grief for the pair, and is ultimately the catalyst that leads to the creation of the famous play, Hamlet.

While it may seem like this is a story about the famous playwright, this is wholly about Agnes Shakespeare’s; her soul, her heart, the way nature plays into every aspect of her life, and her deep love for those around her. Buckley plays into the devastating pain and effortlessly translates the grief of losing a child into pure love with that final act. 

Even though the text and film aren’t directly translated from Shakespeare’s works, the influences of his words and his prose can’t be clearer. The beauty of this film is that Buckley is able to bring the feelings from the page to real life, much like the written words of Shakespeare himself. Audiences are able to feel the heavy emotions that weigh down on the family purely just by watching Buckley’s harrowing performance. It is a generous and gratuitous performance all in the name of art.

Will Jessie Buckley be Winning the Oscar?

At this point, there is no doubt that Jessie Buckley is the frontrunner and favourite to win Best Actress at the 98th Annual Academy Awards. Already winning film critics awards, as well as the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes, she is no doubt a shoe in to get her first win.

What’s Next for Jessie Buckley?

Buckley is once again working with Maggie Gyllenhaal playing the Bride of Frankenstein in The Bride! Slated to release in cinemas on the 6th of March, 2026. But hopefully before then, she’ll win the Oscar for her incredible performance in Hamnet.