Jessie Buckley was a front-runner going into today’s Oscar nominations for her searing performance in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, and indeed, the Irish native has been recognized in the lead-actress category. She’s part of a strong showing overall for the drama, which recently won the top best-picture prize at the Golden Globe Awards, as it received eight total nominations, including in both directing and adapted screenplay for Zhao (the latter of which is shared with co-writer Maggie O’Farrell).
Yet for a film that’s a two-hander between Buckley and Paul Mescal, who play Agnes and William Shakespeare in a fictionalized telling of the grief of losing their child, one of today’s most conspicuous snubs happened to be that of Buckley’s co-star, with Mescal missing out on a best-supporting-actor nod despite recognition from the Globes and other voting bodies.
Buckley, who was previously nominated in supporting for her turn in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, had much to celebrate, even with that bittersweet note — and even with her baby crying in the car beside her, as we caught up by phone to celebrate the news.
What’s the feeling?
My baby’s screaming in the background, but I am thrilled. (Laughs.) I’m so proud and honored to be beside all those extraordinary women and to be there with Hamnet. I’m delighted.
This isn’t your first nomination or run with a film, but I’ve seen you on the trail a lot these past months with Chloé Zhao, Paul Mescal, Jacobi Jupe, and others. You all often talk of the meaning of this project to you individually and collectively. How do you put that experience in the context of today’s recognition for the film?
Being on the trail as a family has been what it felt like when we were making it. We were a little village. Any time we make these films to share, this is the next leg, to put it out into the world and share with an audience and feel their response. (Baby cries) I’m distracted, sorry — she’s screaming and fed up, quite frankly right now. (Laughs.) She doesn’t care. She’s like, “Why am I in a car seat? Feed me!” But look, I love those guys so much. It was an absolute privilege of my life to tell this story with them and I’m so proud and honored that it’s been responded to the way it has in the cinema because that’s who we make it for.
One clip that’s been making the rounds lately is all of you dancing to Rihanna at the end of the shoot. What do you remember about that moment?
Oh, it’s got so much joy in it. The film is so emotional, so you get the essence of what it was like to come and make this story together — the vibrancy of all of our hearts and the explosiveness and the really great time we had making this. I’m so glad that’s out there. It’s a celebration, and felt like the best parts of telling this story, in those moments where we get to celebrate going on the journey together.
I was bummed to see that Paul wasn’t nominated today. What’s your reaction?
Yeah, look, I think he’s extraordinary in this film. I know I’ve met a partner for life in doing this with him. I don’t know what to say apart from he is, to me, my absolute. His artistry is something that will continue to grow and be a theme in so many different ways. I know what we created together is something that’s so special to us, and I hold that so dearly in my heart, and there’s no part of Agnes that exists without Paul. There’s no part of what I created or what we created in this story which exists without Paul and what he poured into this story. So what is recognized belongs to him as much as him being recognized in his own category would.
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