January 05, 2026
Jesse Buckley had left fans weeping with her heartfelt performance in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet.
The film reimagines the origins of William Shakespeare’s iconic play Hamlet, exploring the personal tragedy behind the masterpiece.
It follows Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as Shakespeare, a young married couple grappling with the devastating loss of their 11-year-old son Hamnet.
Following Buckley’s big win at Critic’s Choice Award for her performance in the film, Gold Derby interviewer asked the actress how she feels about fans' teary reaction on Hamnet.
"Well, I'm cruel bastard," she joked during the press interview backstage while holding the accolade she just received, "so I like it."
"My job is to make people feel in all manner of ways, and I think this film has touched people in ways that is beyond crying," explained the Irish actress. "With any great love, there is great loss inevitably in life. That was the precipice that we dance in when we were making it.”
The Bride! star continued, “However, people want to incubate it, it's theirs. It's not ours now. It's for if you want to cry. It's a goody. It's a good one to do. But if you want to, I don't know, remember what it is to love with wild abandon and courage, it can be that too."
Buckley is now gearing up for Golden Globe Awards in which is nominated in Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama).
She is competing with Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Julia Roberts (After The Hunt), Tessa Thompson (Hedda) and Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby).
Golden Globe Awards will be held on January 11.