Golden Globe: Jessie Buckley secures award for 'Hamnet'

Golden Globe victory for her performance in Hamnet, actress Jessie Buckley is being recognised not only for her dramatic prowess but for the deep-rooted musical background that has defined her career.

Buckley is currently considered a frontrunner for the upcoming Academy Awards. While widely known for her film work, the Irish actress possesses a formal musical pedigree that spans classical training, West End theatre, and professional recording.

Buckley’s musical foundation began in Killarney, encouraged by her mother, Marina Cassidy, a professional harpist and vocal coach. As a student at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), Buckley studied piano, clarinet, saxophone, and Irish harp.

RIAM’s head of artistic programming, Ciara Higgins, noted that Buckley’s talent was evident early on. In 2001, Buckley was selected for a High Achiever Award from a pool of 40,000 candidates across Ireland. She eventually represented the province of Munster in a regional concert, performing a work by Gráinne Yeats on the Irish harp.

Buckley’s classical literacy remains a core part of her acting process. During the production of Hamnet, she reportedly played Max Richter’s “On The Nature Of Daylight” on set for ten hours a day to maintain the emotional atmosphere of the film.

The actress first entered the public eye in 2008 as a contestant on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything. Competing for the role of Nancy in Oliver!, she finished as the runner-up to Jodie Prenger.

The exposure led to a role in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory, which preceded her enrollment at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). In 2021, Buckley returned to her musical roots to play Sally Bowles in the West End revival of Cabaret, a performance that earned her an Olivier Award for Best Actress.

 In 2018, Buckley gained international attention for the film Wild Rose, in which she portrayed an aspiring country singer from Glasgow. Her performance of the film’s original music demonstrated a professional-grade vocal range that transcended typical “actor-musician” expectations.

Expanding her reach into the folk-rock genre, Buckley collaborated with Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2022. Their joint album, For All Our Days That Tear The Heart, was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize, placing her among the year’s most respected contemporary musicians.

Buckley joins a notable list of Irish performers, including Andrew Scott and the late Sinead O’Connor, who have transitioned from RIAM’s rigorous examination system to global artistic success.