Jessie Buckley, actor

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Apr 5, 2026

Jessie Buckley, an Irish actor and singer celebrated for Hamnet, Cabaret and a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar nod. She talks about preparing in a shepherd's hut, her musical childhood and family guesthouse performances. She reflects on training at RADA, mental health and recovery, memorable stage mishaps, and how motherhood and Norfolk life shape her work.

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ANECDOTE

Reality TV Led To A Life Changing Workshop

After failing to get into Guildford, Jessie auditioned for the BBC show I'd Do Anything and finished second, which brought her to London and visibility.
Cameron Mackintosh later sent her to a RADA Shakespeare workshop that shifted her toward acting.

INSIGHT

A Mentor Turned Reality TV Into Classical Training

Mentors and unexpected allies can reshape a career: Cameron Mackintosh's support led Jessie to Shakespeare and a new artistic identity.
A single introduction (RADA workshop) converted public talent-show exposure into classical acting training.

ANECDOTE

Aspiring To Be Judi Dench

Jessie admires Dame Judi Dench and watched her Send In The Clowns; after meeting agent Lindy King she declared I want to be Judi Dench.
That ambition helped shape her career choices and gratitude toward mentors.

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Jessie Buckley is an actor and singer. She recently won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award for her critically acclaimed role playing Shakespeare’s wife Agnes in Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet. Her performance has also garnered her an Academy Award nomination.

Jessie won an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in a 2021 West End revival of Cabaret. Her breakout film role came in 2018 when she played an aspiring country music singer in the musical Wild Rose.

Jessie was born in Killarney in County Kerry to creative parents. Her mother trained as a singer and harpist and her father, who ran a guest house when she was growing up, writes poetry. As a child Jessie and her siblings put on Irish dancing performances for people who stayed in the guest house.

In 2008 she appeared in the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything – the televised search to find a Nancy for a West End production of Oliver! Jessie came second in the competition and afterwards Sir Cameron Mackintosh, one of the judges, sent her on a Shakespeare workshop at RADA which she says changed her life.

She made her professional stage debut as Anne Egerman in the 2008/2009 revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. In 2010 she stepped away from professional work and enrolled at RADA where she studied for three years.

After graduating she performed on stage, screen and television. She received her first Oscar nomination playing opposite Olivia Colman in the 2021 film the Lost Daughter.

Jessie lives in Norfolk with her husband and their baby daughter.

DISC ONE: Samhradh Samhradh - The Gloaming DISC TWO: O Holy Night. Composed by Adolph Adam and performed by Marina Cassidy DISC THREE: Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Live at Philharmonic Hall, New York, NY - October 1969) - Nina Simone DISC FOUR: Troy - Sinéad O'Connor DISC FIVE: Send In the Clowns – Judi Dench DISC SIX: Shobis Galoba (Christmas Song) - Basiani Ensemble DISC SEVEN: The Red Shoes - Kate Bush DISC EIGHT: Old Note - Lisa O'Neill

BOOK CHOICE: The Complete Poems of Tim Buckley LUXURY ITEM: Jessie’s own bathtub and bath salts CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Samhradh Samhradh - The Gloaming

Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Paula McGinley