Jessie Buckley’s Critics Choice win crowns Hamnet’s surge

TL;DR:

• Jessie Buckley won Critics Choice Best Actress for Hamnet.
• She thanked Paul Mescal with a warm, playful speech.
• Hamnet’s momentum grows ahead of final awards voting.
• Buckley’s next major release is The Bride! on March 6, 2026.
• We recap what happened, why it matters, and what’s next.

Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at the Critics Choice Awards for her performance in Hamnet on 2026-01-04 in Santa Monica. In a heartfelt speech, she praised co-star Paul Mescal and the ensemble that brought Maggie O’Farrell’s novel to screen. The win lands at a key moment in awards season. Hamnet has drawn strong notices since fall festival screenings. Sunday’s result adds fuel heading into guild voting and final ballots for other major shows. A widely watched broadcast also put Buckley’s work in front of a broad audience. Vogue’s winners list confirmed her win among a diverse slate.

What happened

Buckley plays Agnes, wife to William Shakespeare, in Chloé Zhao’s adaptation. The film centers on grief after the death of the couple’s son and the shadow it casts on Hamlet. On stage, Buckley called Mescal “a giant of the heart” and joked about his popularity, keeping the room loose while staying grateful. 

The ceremony also saw One Battle After Another named Best Picture. That wider context matters because voters often look for consistency across shows. With Hamnet in the thick of top categories, Buckley’s individual win signals the film’s strength with critics and tastemakers. 

Why her performance connected

Buckley’s Agnes is tactile and lived-in. She carries scenes of family ritual, midwife skill, and quiet power. The camera often lingers on hands and breath. Dialogue is spare, but feeling runs high. This style aligns with Zhao’s naturalistic approach. It lets Buckley lead with presence rather than speech.

In key sequences, grief shows up as work. Agnes washes linens, mixes herbs, holds a crowd in prayer. Buckley avoids big theatrical outbursts. She makes small choices with large impact. That restraint makes the final passages ache.

Where this places Hamnet in the race

A Critics Choice win does not guarantee an Oscar. It does, however, offer two advantages. First, it keeps the title in headlines during a crowded week. Second, it supports campaign narratives about craft, ensemble, and adaptation faithfulness.

Hamnet has been building a steady case since its first trailer and fall rollout. Coverage highlighted the pairing of Buckley and Mescal, and the film’s focus on a mother’s point of view. That framing helped it stand out among historical dramas.

What Buckley said, and why it resonated

Awards speeches can feel generic. Buckley’s was personal without being self-serious. Her praise for Mescal and the young cast drew warmth in the room. She kept it short, and she kept it human. Those choices match her public image as a no-nonsense, craft-first performer. People’s report captured the tone and a few memorable lines from the stage. 

The backdrop: a busy night and a packed field

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards spread recognition across films. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the top prize conversation. That meant individual wins, like Buckley’s, had to cut through noise. They did. Outlets tracking the winners placed Buckley alongside the night’s headline names, which keeps her performance in the same breath as major contenders. 

What happens next for Jessie Buckley

Next up is The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reimagining of Bride of Frankenstein, with Buckley in the title role opposite Christian Bale. Warner Bros. plans to release it in the United States on 2026-03-06. The project pairs Buckley with a prestige ensemble and a bold filmmaker, giving her back-to-back high-profile showcases in different registers. 

That variety matters. Voters like range, and audiences do too. Moving from historical drama to creature romance keeps Buckley fresh on screens and feeds a narrative of versatility. If The Bride! lands well in early March, it extends her visibility beyond the awards corridor.

How this affects viewers and fans

For fans, the practical question is simple. Where can you see Hamnet next, and what Buckley project follows? The checklist below rounds up the key dates and context you can act on.

Quick guide: key dates and touchpoints

For deeper reading on the film’s tone and imagery, early trailer coverage from industry outlets is useful. It shows the earthy palette and intimate blocking that define Buckley’s performance space.

Common misconceptions

• “Critics Choice guarantees the Oscar.” It does not. It is one signal, not a promise.
• “Hamnet is a straight Shakespeare biopic.” It centers Agnes and family life, not court intrigue.
• “The Bride! is a remake of the 1935 film.” It is a modern reimagining that draws from the classic, with new setting and themes.

Why it matters

Awards shape what gets seen, funded, and preserved. Buckley’s win rewards a performance rooted in care work and maternal grief. It nudges studios toward character-driven stories led by women. It also spotlights an actor who builds varied, risk-taking roles across genres. That is good for audiences who want range, and for the industry’s long-term health.

Sources:

• People, “Jessie Buckley Praises ‘Hamnet’ Costar Paul Mescal as She Wins at Critics Choice Awards,” https://people.com/critics-choice-awards-2026-best-actress-jessie-buckley-paul-mescal-11875979, 2026-01-05
• Vogue, “All the Winners at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards,” https://www.vogue.com/article/2026-critics-choice-awards-full-list-of-winners, 2026-01-05
• Wikipedia, “The Bride!,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bride%21, accessed 2026-01-05
• People, “Best Picture Winner at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards,” https://people.com/critics-choice-awards-2026-best-picture-winner-11875616, 2026-01-05
• Deadline, “‘Hamnet’ Trailer: Jessie Buckley & Paul Mescal,” https://deadline.com/2025/10/hamnet-trailer-paul-mescal-jessie-buckley-chloe-zhao-1236497855/, 2025-10-xx
• Collider, “First ‘Hamnet’ Trailer,”https://collider.com/hamnet-trailer-paul-mescal-chloe-zhao/, 2025-09-xx