Jessie Buckley on the Song That Shaped Her Journey
Jessie Buckley, fresh from her Golden Globe win for Hamnet, opens up about her career path and the personal meaning behind her favourite song, revealing the deep ties between her music and acting.
Not many actors who’ve snagged an Oscar started out on a TV talent show. A quick look and you’ll find maybe Jennifer Hudson, and that’s about it. But with a Golden Globe now under her belt for Hamnet, Jessie Buckley could soon join that rare club. Nearly 18 years ago, Buckley, an Irish performer with a knack for both acting and singing, first caught the public’s eye on the BBC’s I’d Do Anything. It was one of those Saturday night talent gigs, usually hosted by Graham Norton, where the audience gets to play casting director for a musical. Buckley didn’t take out the top spot, but making it to the final was enough to get her noticed and land her some solid roles in theatre, sharing the stage with the likes of Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso.
After a stint at RADA and treading the boards in Shakespeare alongside Jude Law, Buckley scored a part in a TV version of War and Peace. Her film debut came soon after in Beast, a low-budget psychological thriller that earned her plenty of praise for her performance. Then came Wild Rose in 2018, a gritty country film with Julie Walters, where Buckley got to blend her acting chops with her love for music. She even performed at Glastonbury, belting out tracks from the film, and found herself singing in some pretty unexpected places.
Finding Meaning in Music
One tune that’s stuck with her is Nina Simone’s take on Sandy Denny’s ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’. Buckley once shared,
“I did some gigs in a working male prison for lifers, and I sang this song… there’s beautiful things in that song that kind of make you think about the things that you’ve left behind and how long you’ve got left.”
The song’s themes clearly hit home for her, reflecting on the past and what’s still to come.
In just a few years, Buckley’s managed to carve out a name for herself in musical roles on the big screen, including a turn in the Oscar-winning Judy Garland biopic, Judy. She’s also put out her own music, teaming up with Bernard Butler, the former Suede guitarist, for their 2022 album For All Our Days That Tear the Heart.
On Stage, On Screen, and Beyond
Talking about Simone, Buckley said,
“When I hear her sing anything, I just think she contains multitudes …like the epicness of being a queen and the fragility of being a human, and every song that she sings, it always shatters me and makes me want to climb a mountain.”
That mix of strength and vulnerability is something Buckley seems to chase in her own work, whether she’s on stage or in front of the camera.
Next up, she’s set to appear in The Bride!, a horror romance directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal previously cast Buckley in her directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, where Buckley starred opposite Olivia Colman. The Bride! reimagines the Bride of Frankenstein story and is due to hit cinemas on March 6th.
Rising Star with No Signs of Slowing Down
With her recent Golden Globe win, Buckley is now tipped as a strong contender for an Oscar for her role in Hamnet. The film, which also stars Paul Mescal, explores the lives of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway, as they grapple with the loss of their young son. The film itself picked up ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama’ at the Golden Globes, with director Chloe Zhao at the helm, who previously took home an Oscar for Nomadland.