Fresh Air Jessie Buckley loves the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters
10 snips
Mar 2, 2026 
Jessie Buckley, an Irish actress and singer celebrated for film and stage work and awards recognition, discusses playing Agnes in Hamnet. She explores the character’s mysticism, nature connection, and ‘shadowy bits.’ Conversations touch on grief and an unplanned crying scene, dream-based character work, her musical roots, and juggling motherhood with demanding roles.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Agnes Recentered As A Full Human In Hamnet
- Jessie Buckley interprets Hamnet as an imagined, richly human portrait of Agnes rather than a historical biography.
- The film centers Agnes's inner life and the family's grief after Hamnet dies while Shakespeare is away, reframing her from a footnote to a full protagonist.
Nature And Otherness Define Agnes's Power
- Jessie Buckley portrays Agnes as deeply connected to nature and seen as 'other' or mystical in her community.
- Buckley links that otherness to a cultural shift toward puritanism and mechanization that made pagan, elemental people feel threatening.
How The Death Scene Emerged From Real Bonds
- Buckley says the devastating howling death scene wasn't scripted and emerged from present, family-like relationships on set.
- Her bond with child actor Jacoby Jupe and the cast's real tenderness allowed authentic grief to surface spontaneously.