Jessie Buckley Makes Oscars History as First Irish Best Actress Winner

“Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley took home the Oscar for best actress at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, becoming the first Irish actress to win the prize.

This was Buckley’s second Oscar nomination; she was previously nominated for the best supporting actress award for 2021's “The Lost Daughter.”

Buckley’s best actress win was perhaps the only lock in an increasingly unpredictable awards race, after all, she swept all the best actress prizes at the major ceremonies, including SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards, the BAFTAs, the Critics Choice awards, and the Golden Globes. 

However, Buckley was visibly moved to hear her name read as her streak culminated at the 98th Oscars ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, who returned as emcee for the second year in a row.

“This is really something,” Buckley began before thanking her fellow nominees Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”). “I am inspired by your art and your heart, and I want to work with every single one of you,” she said.

Then, Buckley shared that her entire family was in the audience because “Ireland bought them flights.” Looking up to the balcony to see if she could spot them, she said: “Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation but to care from your own passion.”

To her husband, Freddie Sorensen, who looked on in tears from the “Hamnet” section, she said: “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.” Their eight-month-old daughter wasn’t in the auditorium, but Buckley made sure to mention her onstage, joking that the little girl likely “has no idea what’s going on and is probably dreaming of milk,” but her mother winning an Oscar is “kind of a big deal.”

To “Hamnet” director Chloé Zhao and author/co-screenwriter Maggie O’Farrell,” she said, “To get to know these incandescent woman and journey to understand the capacity of a mother’s love is the greatest collision of my life.”

The timing of this honor was particularly significant too, it’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. “I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” Buckley said. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds.”

In “Hamnet,” directed by Oscar winner Zhao, Buckley portrays Agnes, a woman who falls in love with a poor Latin tutor named William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), who goes on to become the famed playwright.

The historical fiction film follows as the couple wed and have three children, but tragedy strikes when their only son, 11-year-old Hamnet, dies from the plague.

As the movie explores the family’s grief over the devastating loss and how the tragedy inspired Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” Buckley’s raw, emotional performance captivated audiences.

The Focus Features film earned eight nominations at this year’s Oscars, including best picture, best director (Zhao), and best adapted screenplay (Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell), as well as nods for best original score, casting, costume design and production design.

“Hamnet” debuted at the Telluride Film Festival last August, where Buckley’s performance was immediately hailed as an Oscar contender.

The movie marked a breakthrough moment for the star, who’d already delivered masterful performances in “Women Talking” and “Wild Rose.”

Before the Oscars, Buckley’s latest film, “The Bride!” — a reunion with her “The Lost Daughter” director Maggie Gyllenhaal — debuted in theaters. Next, she’ll star in Alice Rohrwacher’s “Three Incestuous Sisters,” opposite Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan, and Josh O’Connor.