Natalie Gonzalez March 18th, 2026 - 10:34 PM
As a summery night (in March) full of joke duties, famous faces & recognition came to a close, the higher profile awards were being presented. One of the final awards of the evening was for Best Actress and the golden statue was awarded to the lead actress of Hamnet, Jessie Buckley.
@deadline #JessieBuckley wins Best Actress in a Leading Role at #Oscars for #Hamnet ♬ original sound – Deadline
Though the accomplishment was anticipated, the unpredictable element to this year’s ceremony kept people guessing as to who it would be given to because of the vast amount of talent amongst the nominees – but synchronicities abound pointed to the prize landing in Buckley’s hands.
This is Buckley’s second Oscar nomination, the first was in 2022 for Best Supporting Actress in The Lost Daughter, which was Maggie Gylenhaal’s directorial debut. Her acting resume has been building steadily and her successful climb began in a different artistic realm with a singing start before tackling movie stardom.
View this post on Instagram
The achievement deepens in significance for more reasons than one – Buckley became the first Irish woman to win this award two days before St. Patrick’s Day with an additional honor being that the date also coincides with the same date as Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, as reported by Variety. She even became pregnant after Hamnet wrapped its production and claims the role urged her to become a mother despite the fears that come along with it – these were some things she discussed in an interview with NPR.
“I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” Buckley said during her acceptance speech. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds.”
This Oscar win is an addition to Buckley’s collection during her Best Actress sweep this award season, including the BAFTA’s, Critics Choice Awards, SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards & the Golden Globes. Upcoming projects of hers include Alice Rohrwacher’s Three Incestuous Sisters (co-starring Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan & Josh O’Connor). Her consecutive collaboration with Gyllenhaal, The Bride! (co-starring Christian Bale & Peter Sarsgaard) recently premiered in theaters on March 6, 2026.
