Jessie Buckley dedicates Actor Award win to Emily Watson in tearful speech

Jessie Buckley delivered an emotional tribute to her Hamnet co-star Emily Watson while accepting her Actor Award at the 2026 ceremony.

Buckley, 36, won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Agnes in Hamnet. 

Taking the stage on March 1, she paused to reflect on the community around her. “I have been categorically changed by so many people in this room and beyond,” she said. “To get to work with my heart in my hand and stand beside my brilliant, daring friends who show me their heart — I mean, what a way to spend a life.”

She then addressed Watson, calling her her “incredible friend and date tonight.” Buckley shared that watching Watson in Breaking the Waves inspired her early ambitions. 

“To share those scenes with you in Hamnet, I will cherish that for the rest of my life,” she said. “Your wild imagination, your brave, untethered womanhood, your ferocious gentleness, is a guiding light to me. And 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.”

The camera captured Watson visibly moved by the tribute.

Buckley concluded, “I love and cherish being part of this community. I hope that I can continue to offer something meaningful back. Thank you very much. This is such a privilege.”

The film, directed by Chloé Zhao and based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, explores grief within William Shakespeare’s family.