Oscars: Jessie Buckley wins Best Actress for playing Shakespeare's wife in Hamnet

LOS ANGELES - Jessie Buckley won her first Academy Award on March 15, claiming the Best Actress trophy for her portrayal of English playwright William Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet.

Buckley, who plays a mother in the film, noted during her acceptance speech that the Oscars were being held on Mother’s Day in Britain.

She said her thoughts were with her eight-month-old daughter, who had no idea what was happening and was likely dreaming of milk.

“This is kind of a big deal,” Buckley said, as she paid tribute to the singular love of mothers, adding that “we all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against odds”.

The Irish actress plays the free-spirited Agnes Hathaway, opposite Irish actor Paul Mescal as Shakespeare, as the couple grieves the death of their 11-year-old son.

Buckley, 36, tried to break into acting at age 17 when she competed for a role on London’s West End in a BBC singing competition show called I’d Do Anything (2008). Judges praised Buckley’s voice but some criticised her appearance as awkward and not feminine enough.

In 2018, Buckley gained praise for her breakout role as an aspiring country music singer in the film Wild Rose (2018), which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Her other film appearances included The Lost Daughter (2021) and Women Talking (2022).

Buckley also starred in the TV series Chernobyl (2019) and the fourth season of Fargo in 2020. On stage in London, her portrayal of Sally Bowles in a revival of Cabaret earned her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a musical.

Buckley’s Oscar win was considered a lock after she swept other major Hollywood awards. Her competitors for Best Actress included Rose Byrne, star of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

Buckley currently stars as the bride of Frankenstein in the movie The Bride!. REUTERS