Jessie Buckley Dedicates Actor Award Win to ‘Hamnet’ Co-Star Emily Watson: “You’re the Realest of the Real”
Jessie Buckley came out on top at the 2026 Actor Awards for outstanding performance by a female actor in a film, cementing the Hamnet star’s status as the Oscar frontrunner for best actress.
It’s been a dominant run for the Irish native, as she came into Sunday night with major wins already from the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTAs. With this win, recognizing her devastating turn as Agnes Shakespeare, coming from her peers in SAG-AFTRA, she’ll head into the Oscars in two weeks having effectively swept the precursor awards circuit — a feat that almost always translates to victory at the Academy Awards.
Buckley spoke to being embraced by her peers as she began her speech, saying, “I have been categorically changed by so many people in this room and beyond. … What a way to spend a life.” But the bulk of her remarks were then dedicated to Emily Watson, her costar in Hamnet and an inspiration for her in forging her own career. She pointed to Watson from the stage and said, “You!”
“I’d like to say a special thank you to my incredible friend and date tonight, Emily Watson,” Buckley continued. “Breaking the Waves made me say to myself, that’s what I want to do. … The best advice that you always give to me is to always go back to the well of just being human. Ground zero, babe. You’re the realest of the real.”
Buckley’s strongest competition at the Actor Awards 2026 was thought to be Rose Byrne, whose intense performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You won her a slew of critics’ prizes, in addition to a Golden Globe and a Spirit Award. Byrne is also nominated at the Oscars, as are fellow Actor Award competitors Emma Stone (Bugonia) and Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue); SAG-AFTRA’s final nominee in the category, One Battle After Another’s Chase Infiniti, was passed over by the Academy in favor of Sentimental Value’s Renate Reinsve. This was Buckley’s first-ever individual Actor Award nomination, as SAG-AFTRA ignored her ultimately Oscar-nominated turn in The Lost Daughter.
Buckley is also nominated tonight as part of the Hamnet cast, and was previously cited for best ensemble for Women Talking. She’s the first Irish performer ever to win this category, and should she win the Oscar for best actress, will also be the first-ever Irish winner there.
