Jessie Buckley reflects on her ‘powerful’ role in ‘Hamnet’

Jessie Buckley, the Irish actress and singer, opened up about her transformative journey in Hamnet.

Directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao, the film stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Buckley as his wife, renamed Agnes in both the novel and the movie.

The film offers a fictional account of relationship of Shakespeare with his wife and the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet, which lead the literary legend to write his famous play, Hamlet.

During its premiere at London Film Festival, Buckley shared her thoughts on the character, saying, "What was revealed to me through her (Agnes) was a tenderness that I didn't know I needed to learn and live in. And that tenderness has changed me."

She added, "It really reminded me of how potent and powerful storytelling can be. And it's kind of set a bar, like, I only want to make films that are as brave and as human as this from now on."

The screenplay is adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling 2020 novel of the same name and is produced by Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes.

In addition to Mescal and Buckley, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn also stars in the film.

Hamnet will release in selected theatres on Thanksgiving Day on November 27 and then will have its worldwide premiere on December 12.