Outline:
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal received Golden Globe nominations for their remarkable portrayals in Hamnet, a film directed by Chloé Zhao, which is based on Maggie Farrell’s 2020 novel from Ireland that explores the passing of Shakespeare’s son.
Buckley portrays Agnes, the wife of the Bard, while Mescal takes on the role of William Shakespeare. Both deliver outstanding performances – as demonstrated at thethe film’s premiere in Dublin, which both of them were present at.
A fictional drama draws from reality, as one of Shakespeare’s three children passed away at the age of 11 in 1596. A few years later, Hamlet was first performed at the Globe Theatre, with the movie highlighting that the names Hamnet and Hamlet were nearly used interchangeably in England during that period.
Buckley is shortlisted for Best Female Actor, while Mescal is nominated for Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), suggesting that Ireland has a possibility of winning a Globe, particularly since both performances have been highly praised by critics.
The American Film Institute included Hamnet among the top ten films of 2025, and it also received the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Jessie’s career so far
In the book Hamnet, Buckley and Mescal deliver captivating performances, with a chemistry that gives their characters a powerful emotional effect. While Mescal’s work is not to be overlooked, Buckley’s portrayal has been described as ‘revelatory and heroic’.
The movie follows the couple’s initial love and family experiences, showing how the intense grief of losing their child leads to their separation.
A 35-year-old woman, who enjoys what she has referred to as ‘the shadow bits’ of human life, truly immerses herself in the part of a mourning mother and presents a remarkable performance that is intense and lifelike.
Known as the acting world’s “best kept secret,” it’s not that Buckley hasn’t gained acknowledgment – she has been nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Oliviers – but she isn’t a major celebrity. This could be due to her ability to transform completely into roles, and she fiercely protects her anonymity and private life.
Although she got married in 2023, she did not disclose her husband’s last name, calling him only Freddie, and she has also not revealed the name oftheir young daughter, born earlier this year. She revealed her pregnancy at Cinema Con in April but has remained quiet since.
The couple resides between Norfolk and Dalston, East London, but that is all we know about their family life, except that she has referred to the experience of being a parent as ‘transformative’.
Born in December 1989 in Killarney, she is the daughter of Marina Cassidy and Tim Buckley. As the oldest among five siblings, she has always had a passion for music. She studied at the Ursuline Convent in Thurles, where her mother worked as a vocal instructor, and she landed roles in school musicals such as Tony in West Side Story. During her teenage years, she faced depression, but she has stated that music played a crucial role in helping her through that difficult time.
Buckley initially gained public recognition in the 2008 BBC talent competition I’d Do Anything, which aimed to discover a new Nancy for a reimagined version of Oliver. Although she did not emerge as the winner, this exposure marked the beginning of her professional journey. Subsequently, she debuted in the West End with Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, directed by Trevor Nunn.
She later attended RADA and obtained a BA in Acting in January 2013. Following her studies on Shakespearean drama at RADA, she went on to perform roles by the playwright, including Miranda in The Tempest, Kate alongside Jude Law in Henry V, and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale.
Soon after, she took on roles in TV series such as War and Peace (2016) and Taboo (2017). In the first of these, she met James Norton, with whom she was in a relationship for two years until 2018. Subsequent television roles and favorable reviews came with The Woman in White (2018), Chernobyl (2019), and Fargo (2020). The actress from Kerry was also included in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list in 2019.
She began her acting career in The Beast (2017), a gripping psychological film, but it was her subsequent movie Wild Rose (2018), where she portrayed a sharp, ambitious country music performer, that marked her significant rise, leading to a BAFTA nomination. The role provided her with an ideal opportunity to showcase her talents in both singing and acting, drawing considerable industry recognition.
In 2021, she also had a successful year, featuring in “The Lost Daughter,” which is based on a novel by Elena Ferrante, earning her another BAFTA nomination and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The same year, she was invited by Freddie Redmayne to portray the role of
Sally Bowles performed on stage in Cabaret, a part that earned her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2022. Even with such a hectic schedule, she also found time to launch an album with Bernard Butler called For All Our Days That Tear The Heart in the same year, which was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize.
Additional movies came out, including Women Talking (2022) and Wicked Little Letters (2023), showcasing Buckley’s impressive versatility, capable of shifting effortlessly from the most somber drama to dark humor. With Hamnet, she has discovered a challenging role that truly showcases her remarkable ability.
When discussing her portrayal of Agnes, she praised the chemistry she shared with co-star Mescal, stating, “which allowed us to go wherever we needed to go” as they both delved into characters damaged by loss.
At the moment, Buckley is featured on Elle’s Women In Hollywood cover, indicating that her time has finally arrived. Her upcoming role is as Frankenstein’s bride alongside Christian Bale in a rebellious take on the story set in 1930s Chicago. She has always been attracted to the ‘imperfections and quirks of individuals’ and is clearly enjoying the depth of her present characters.
Buckley has mentioned, ‘ Ideally, when you portray a character, she departs with half of you, and you with half of her, and you gain some insight.’
One more thing she discovered is that she shares a strong creative connection with Mescal. “I absolutely love that man,” she has mentioned, and the sentiment is reciprocated.
Paul’s career so far
In contrast to Buckley, Mescal’s rise to fame in the film industry within the last five years has been rapid. His first appearance as Connell Waldron in Normal People (2020) captured a truly attentive audience and made him the country’s most beloved romantic interest.
He also earned a BAFTA for Best Actor in a TV series and received an Emmy nomination. The 5ft11 Kildare native, who is still under 30, has demonstrated over time that he can express a wide array of emotions, particularly excelling in portraying male fragility. This ability is prominently showcased in his role as Shakespeare in Hamnet.
Born in February 1996 in Maynooth, he is the child of Dearbhla, a guard, and Paul Mescal, a teacher who performed part-time professionally. He has a younger sister named Nell, who is a talented singer, and a brother called Donnacha. His family environment was joyful, fostering creativity and music.
Mescal participated in Under-21 GAA football at a lower level, showcasing some talent as a defender, but stopped the sport following an injury that broke his nose and jaw.
He made his stage debut at the age of 16 as the main character in The Phantom Of The Opera, an exciting experience that encouraged him to pursue acting as his profession. He attended The Lir Academy, Trinity College, and graduated in 2017 with an agent already in place.
He subsequently took on a range of stage performances in The Great Gatsby and The Lieutenant Of Inishmore at the Gate, Asking For It by Louise O’Neill at the Abbey, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and The Plough And The Stars at the Lyric in London. He relocated to London in 2020, after the success of Normal People, drawing attention from the tabloids, who notably captured him in his brief GAA shorts, highlighting his well-defined legs.
He began his acting career in The Lost Daughter, which also included Buckley, and that same year appeared in God’s Creatures as the son of Emily Watson, who was involved in a sexual assault. He later took on the leading role in Aftersun (2022), a touching story about a troubled father spending time with his young daughter. His performance received widespread praise and earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards. Not bad for his third film.
In the same year, he also appeared in a contemporary musical adaptation of Carmen as Aidan, the diva’s tragic lover. In 2023, he finished filming All Of Us Strangers alongside Irish actor Andrew Scott, a romantic fantasy where a man seems to time travel back to his childhood home while starting a relationship with his neighbor. The film received excellent reviews and the two continue to be close friends. Another movie, Foe, a science fiction film featuring Saoirse Ronan, was not as positively received.
Nevertheless, in 2022, Mescal received praise for portraying Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire during a stage production in London’s West End. Critics characterized his performance as ‘captivating’, ‘energetic’, and ‘intense’, earning him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
He felt pressured to take on the legendary role, which was well-known through Marlon Brando’s performance, but demonstrated that he could challenge his own kind-hearted giant image with a powerful portrayal of hidden male anger.
Mescal’s captivating, drowsy-eyed appeal along with his strong acting skills was beginning to build his recognition, but it was a significant achievement when he was revealed in 2023 to portray Lucius Verus in Ridley Scott’s follow-up to Gladiator. He followed a rigorous program of strength training, fight coordination, horse riding, and stage combat preparation. Although he got favorable reviews, the original film was typically seen as better.
In any case, Mescal has demonstrated his capability to direct a significant film and also received the Academy’s Vantage Award for Emerging Artists that year.
This year, Mescal is also featured in The History Of Sound alongside Josh O’Connor, a poignant romantic story that earned a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
He has also landed the role of Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’s four-part Beatles film series and is currently learning to play the guitar as a left-handed person for greater authenticity.
As a genuine “heartthrob,” as mentioned by the New York Times, Mescal’s romantic relationships have attracted significant interest. He was in a relationship with singer Phoebe Bridgers from 2020 to 2022, and he appeared in her music video Saviour Complex.
Starting from 2024, he has been in a relationship with another musician, Gracie Abrams, who is the daughter of director JJ, and he is very protective about their bond. His large group of devoted followers are heartbroken that he continues to be exclusively monogamous.
Although he has been featured on the covers of the Hollywood Reporter, GQ, and Rolling Stone, and serves as an ambassador for the fashion brand Gucci, Mescal continues to be refreshingly grounded and unassuming.
“I wasn’t aware of actors during my childhood, actors didn’t originate from Maynooth,” he has stated.
Currently, a Golden Globe could be a possibility for the Kildare native within less than a decade since graduating from drama school.
If achieving a double win alongside Buckley, it would be as elegant as any Shakespearean sonnet.