Having already snared Critics Choice and Golden Globe gongs this awards season, the drums are now beating for Hamnet star Jessie Buckley to win an Oscar in March. But rewind 19 years and things could have been very different. At just 17, Jessie was far from being the toast of Hollywood. Instead, she was one of 12 finalists on the British talent show I’d Do Anything. The competition saw hopefuls battle it out for the coveted role of Nancy in a West End revival of the musical Oliver! It almost broke her.
“There was a lot that was really messed up,” Jessie, 36, reflects of her experience on the show, in which she was compared to a “farm girl” by one of the judges and told by a choreographer to be “more ladylike”.
Unlearning the damage
Shares Jessie, “A lot of body shaming and bringing me to femininity school. And I was growing into my body. “I hope that a 15, 17, whatever-age woman now never has to be brutalised quite like what happened on that show. I didn’t recognise it fully at the time. I just felt it, which was difficult. “When you’re told that you have to kind of mould yourself into a shape that doesn’t naturally fit you,
you incubate that messaging. It becomes self-destructive. “Once I realised that, my life goal has been to unravel myself from that sort of miseducation and just find life.”
Shy and baby-faced, with her hair in bouncy ringlets, Jessie charmed viewers of the show with her acting abilities and jaw-dropping singing voice. Musicals maestro Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, 77, was lead judge and also a big fan, but his vote was not enough to swing a win. Instead, she came second.
Choosing her own path
Determined to carve a different path, Jessie turned down the offer to play Nancy’s understudy. Instead, she accepted another West End role. The pay was so modest that she had to supplement her income by moonlighting as a jazz singer in a club. One night, however, her talent caught the attention of a wealthy regular at the club. Impressed by her performance, he offered to support her studies. His generosity allowed Jessie to train at London’s prestigious RADA drama school.
By the time Jessie graduated in 2013, she felt ready to take on whatever the world had to offer. Three years later, she earned widespread acclaim for her role in the BBC’s 2016 production of War and Peace. Hollywood soon came calling. Her success in Hamnet marked a major turning point. In the film, she plays William Shakespeare’s wife as she navigates the devastating loss of their 11-year-old son to the bubonic plague. The role has propelled Jessie to new heights in her career.
A New Chapter in Norfolk
Just weeks after the film wrapped, the Irish star and her husband Freddie, a mental health professional, conceived their first child. Their daughter was born last year, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their lives. Preferring to keep a low profile, Jessie is currently enjoying a slower pace in Norfolk, far from the buzz of Hollywood, and simply “getting on with life” raising an eight-month-old.
Despite her bad memories of I’d Do Anything, she’s kept a close friendship with Andrew, who can’t sing her praises loudly enough.
“I’m as confident as anyone could possibly be that she’ll win the Oscar,” enthuses Andrew.
“I can’t believe she won’t. It’s one of the most rewarding things you can have in this profession, to see someone who you know was wonderful to begin with really get to the very top, and I think she’s going to.”
Shakespeare’s Leading Ladies
The movie Hamnet is based on the bestselling Maggie O’Farrell novel about the tragic fate of William Shakespeare’s only son. It was after his death that the Bard wrote his darkest plays. Here, we take a look at some of his most popular leading ladies…t
Emma Thompson, Much Ado About Nothing
In this 1993 movie, Emma plays Beatrice, a woman who refuses to marry because she hasn’t found the perfect, equal partner. Her love interest Benedick is played by her then-husband Sir Kenneth Branagh.
Claire Danes, Romeo + Juliet
Claire was just 16 when she was cast in Baz Luhrmann’s extravagant 1996 movie opposite a then 21-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie, filmed in Mexico, is set in modern times with an alt-pop soundtrack. Claire says the whole experience was “intense”.
Julia Stiles, 10 Things I Hate About You
This 1999 American teen comedy is based on The Taming of the Shrew. Julia plays witty, angsty and fiercely independent teenager Kat Stratford, who hates social conventions. She was just 17 when cast and the role has defined her career.
Dame Helen Mirren, The Tempest
The Bard’s original text has a gender-bending update in this 2010 film. Instead of the main character being a male called Prospero, Helen plays female sorceress and protective mother Prospera. Critics say her “commanding” performance is the only reason to watch it.
