Oscars: Jessie Buckley wins Best Actress for playing Shakespeare's wife in Hamnet

The Irish actress plays the free-spirited Agnes Hathaway, opposite Irish actor Paul Mescal as Shakespeare. Read more at straitstimes.com.

LOS ANGELES - Jessie Buckley won her first Academy Award on March 15, claiming the Best Actress trophy for her portrayal of English playwright William Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet.

Buckley, who plays a mother in the film, noted during her acceptance speech that the Oscars were being held on Mother’s Day in Britain.

She said her thoughts were with her eight-month-old daughter, who had no idea what was happening and was likely dreaming of milk.

“This is kind of a big deal,” Buckley said, as she paid tribute to the singular love of mothers, adding that “we all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against odds”.

The Irish actress plays the free-spirited Agnes Hathaway, opposite Irish actor Paul Mescal as Shakespeare, as the couple grieves the death of their 11-year-old son.

Buckley, 36, tried to break into acting at age 17 when she competed for a role on London’s West End in a BBC singing competition show called I’d Do Anything (2008). Judges praised Buckley’s voice but some criticised her appearance as awkward and not feminine enough.