Jessie Buckley has become the first Irish actress to win the Best Actress category at the 98th annual Academy Awards for her performance in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. In her acceptance speech, she called the win her “greatest honor” and shouted out all mothers everywhere.
“To know this incandescent woman, and journey to understand the capacity of a mother’s love is the greatest collision of my life,” she told Zhao. “It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, but I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.”
Her speech also gave thanks to her family: “My family, my Irish family, they’re all here tonight. Ireland bought them flights — where are you? Mom, dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation, but to carve from your own passion.”
She also shouted out her husband, Fred, and their eight-month old daughter, Isla.
Showering her fellow nominees with love, Buckley added: “Thank you to the incredible women that I stand beside. I am inspired by your art and your heart, and I want to work with every single one of you.” (She was up against Emma Stone (Bugonia), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue).)
Buckley was long-considered a frontrunner in the race, having clinched this year’s Actor/SAG, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Critics Choice trophies. Byrne did take home the Best Lead Performance award at the Indie Spirit Awards last month, and was also seen as steep competition against Buckley.
In total, Focus Features’ Hamnet was up for an additional seven awards, including for Best Picture, Directing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Music (Original Score), Casting, Costume Design and Production Design.
The historical fiction film, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, dramatizes the life of William Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) and his wife (Buckley) as they grieve the loss of their son. Noah Jupe, Jacobi Jupe, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn round out the cast.
English (US) ·