Jessie Buckley won the Oscar for best actress at the 2026 Academy Awards Sunday. She took home the award for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in the film Hamnet, becoming the first Irish performer to win in the category.
“Thank you so much — this is really something,” Buckley started off her acceptance speech, before admiring her fellow nominees. “Thank you to the incredible women that I stand beside. I am inspired by your heart and your art, and I want to work with every single one of you.”
She also thanked the producers of Hamnet, noting, “None of this is possible without you,” and shouted out her family members in attendance.
“Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectations,” she said. Buckley also expressed her love for her husband, Freddie Sorensen, and their daughter.
“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” she ended the speech. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role. This is the greatest honor.”
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