Irish actress, Jessie Buckley won her first Oscar as Best Actress for her role as Shakespeare's wife 'Agnes' in Hamnet.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Hosted by Conan O'Brien, the ceremony will also feature actor-producer Priyanka Chopra as a presenter at the event. While Michael B Jordan won the Best Actor Oscar for Sinners, it is the Best Actress Award which surprised many.
In the best actress category, the nominees were Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Emma Stone (Bugonia), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), and Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You). And moments back, breaking all the odds, Jessie Buckly took away the Oscars for Best Actress.
This is her first Oscar win. With her victory, Buckley becomes the first Irish winner of the Best Actress Oscar. In Hamnet, Buckley played the role of Agnes Shakespeare, the wife of playwright William (played by Paul Mescal). The film is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, directed by Chloé Zhao.
Soon after winning the Oscar, Jessie Buckley delivered a heartwarming speech, thanking her father for teaching her to dream big. She also revealed that Ireland had paid for her family's flights so they could witness Jessie’s winning moment. Jessie then thanked her husband, Fred and revealed how supportive he had been for her. In her words:
“I love you, man. I love you. You’re the most incredible dad. You’re my best friend and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you.”
Jessie became pregnant with her daughter, Isla, a week after the shooting of Hamnet ended. Jessie surely considers her daughter as her lucky charm, and in her winning speech, the new mother addressed her daughter and said:
“With absolutely no idea what’s going on...and probably dreaming of milk, this is kind of a big deal. I love you, and I love being your mum, and I can’t wait to discover life beside you.”
Irish actress and singer, Jessie Buckley, began her acting career in 2008 as a contestant on the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything. In 2017, Buckley made her film debut in the lead role in Beast, followed by films such as Wild Rose, Men, Wicket Little Letters, Women Talking, The Lost Daughter, and many more.
Jessie received a lot of recognition for playing 'Agnes' Shakespeare in the period drama Hamnet, for which she won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice and an Actor Award, and now an Academy Award. She had been Oscar-nominated once before, for best supporting actress for The Lost Daughter.
Congratulations, Jessie Buckley.
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