Jessie Buckley wins the best actress Oscar for tear-jerking ‘Hamnet’ performance

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jessie Buckley claimed her first Oscar on Sunday for her “Hamnet” performance that prompted almost anyone who saw it to blow through a box of tissues.

The prize for best actress went to second-time nominee Buckley for her role as William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in the drama directed by Chloé Zhao.

Buckley burst into a fit of laughter before beginning her speech, saying, “This is really something.”

“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” she said. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role.”

Buckley, who is Irish, had swept the awards circuit leading up to the ceremony, winning in her category at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Actor Awards. She is the first Irish performer to win a best actress Oscar.

A front-runner in the category, Buckley was nominated alongside first-time nominees Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value.” Two-time winner Emma Stone was also nominated for “Bugonia,” as was two-time nominee Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue.”

“Hamnet,” which is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s prizewinning historical fiction novel from 2020, dramatizes the mysterious private life of the famed playwright and poet Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway (who was also called Agnes). The plot centers on the death of the couple’s 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and the intense grief that followed.

Fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal plays William as the story imagines a connection between Hamnet’s tragic death and the birth of what many consider to be Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, “Hamlet.” (The two names were virtually interchangeable in England during the 16th century).

The film developed a reputation for leaving audiences in tears, due in large part to the potency of Buckley’s performance. She was previously nominated for the supporting actress Oscar for her turn in the 2021 film “The Lost Daughter.”

The drama received eight Oscar nominations, including for directing, adapted screenplay and best picture.

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