Jessie Buckley Explains Why Working with Director Chloé Zhao on “Hamnet” Reminded Her ‘What It Is to Be An Artist’
- - Jessie Buckley Explains Why Working with Director Chloé Zhao on “Hamnet” Reminded Her ‘What It Is to Be An Artist’
Brian Anthony Hernandez, Yamillah HurtadoJanuary 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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Jessie Buckley and Chloé Zhao -
Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards for her role in the Chloé Zhao-directed Hamnet
Opposite Paul Mescal, Buckley plays William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in the fictional tale of the family’s domestic lives and the writing of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet
“You have reminded me of the power of telling a story,” Buckley said of Zhao during her Best Actress acceptance speech
Jessie Buckley keeps giving Hamnet writer-director Chloé Zhao her flowers.
After the 36-year-old Hamnet star praised Zhao during her Best Actress acceptance speech onstage at the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards on Jan. 4, Buckley continued to commend her acclaimed collaborator, 43, backstage.
“Chloé Zhao has reminded me what it is to be an artist, as an actress,” she told media in the press room at the ceremony in Santa Monica, Calif.
Buckley added, “When you start, you’re just so glad to get a job. You can’t quite believe it. And that’s the beginning of your kind of training, is you watch. You’re watching these other actors and directors and filmmakers about how to do it, and you start creating your own craft, your own artistry.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Jessie Buckley and Chloé Zhao hugging in September 2025
“And Chloé Zhao asked me to step into her world as an artist and to work like that,” she said as she reflected on working together on Hamnet. “It’s been one of the most profound and special experiences of my life. She’s so singular and she’s a truly feminine, brilliant leader, and I love her.”
Buckley plays William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in Hamnet, a fictional tale of the family’s domestic lives and the writing of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Paul Mescal, 29, stars as the popular playwright and poet.
Agata Grzybowska / FOCUS FEATURES
Chloé Zhao directs Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley on the ‘Hamnet’ set
During her acceptance speech, Buckley emphasized Zhao’s impact on her.
The Best Actress winner said onstage, “Chloé Zhao, you have reminded me of the power of telling a story and the journey that you can go on to touch the deepest parts of what it is to be alive.”
Zhao previously won the Best Director Oscar for her work on Best Picture winner Nomadland at the 2021 Academy Awards.
In winning, Zhao became the first Asian woman to win that directing category at the Oscars. Only three women have ever won Best Director.
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Hamnet is available to watch in select theaters.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
