Jessie Buckley honours her 'Hamnet' co-star after Critics Choice win

Jessie Buckley celebrated a major victory at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, taking home the Best Actress award for her performance in Hamnet.

The 36-year-old actress praised her co-star Paul Mescal and the film’s writer-director Chloé Zhao during her acceptance speech at the ceremony on Sunday, January 4.

"Chloé Zhao, you have reminded me of the power of telling a story and the journey that you can go on to touch the deepest parts of what it is to be alive," the actress said while giving credit to the 43-year-old filmmaker.

The Bride actress also shared playful praise for Mescal, poking fun at his “internet boyfriend” status, "Paul, I bloody love you, man. And I know loads of other women do in this room too, but tough s---," she laughed. "I could drink you like water working with you every single day. You're a giant of the heart and thank you so much for making me a little more human."

She also thanked her other co-star Emily Watson, calling her "my north star from the beginning," and the film's child actors Jacobi Jupe, Olivia Lynes, and Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who play her and Mescal’s onscreen children.

"To my kiddywinks — Jacobi, Olivia, Bodhi — thank you for reminding me what it is to have a ball again," the Irish actress added.

Buckley’s performance as Agnes received widespread critical acclaim, and her fellow nominees in the Best Actress category included Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).

Jessie Buckley played Agnes in Hamnet, wife to Paul Mescal's William Shakespeare, while the fictional story explored the their domestic life and the creation of classic literary play, Hamlet.