Last time, I covered how one awards season marked a notable turning point for one of my favourite actors; this time, I charter how many excellent career decisions and choice in projects have resulted in another dynamic talent blossoming into one of the best working today. Jessie Buckley is a tremendous actress, but beyond that I think she’s done an incredible job in choosing roles and films that have solidified a quick, and richly deserved rise into a critics’ favourite and awards darling.
Buckley’s ‘origin story’ to her stardom is notable in its idiosyncratic variety, beginning from her kickstarting a theatre career from her runner-up placement on the talent show I’d Do Anything as a singer, showcasing her range by dabbling in everything from Sondheim to Shakespeare. This was coupled with some standout turns in television shows like War & Peace and Taboo, and her feature film debut Beast. A taut British indie psychological thriller, her tricky, fascinating performance as a shy outcast who comes under the spell of a mysterious outsider, drew many eyes on her, winning her the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
What’s notable is that after this big breakout through a leading film role, Buckley’s subsequent career choices have a notable range in choices where the variety has not only led her star continue to rise, but shows a little extra range with each. In 2019, she delivered another powerhouse leading turn in Wild Rose, a performance that utilised not just her acting chops but also her musical capabilities in her portrayal of an talented but troubled aspiring country singer for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Lead Actress. This alone would’ve been enough but she also provided some solid support in Judy to Renee Zellweger’s Oscar-winning turn as Judy Garland (more eyes on her) and also a striking, heartbreaking turn in HBO’s hit miniseries Chernobyl. The primary thing here being in continuing to showcase how she could lead a film, and lend some much needed support in the capacity of a smaller role, show’s her versatility; a star and a character actress in one package, so to speak.
This would continue as the 2020s came around, she showed another side to her talents with her idiosyncratic work with Charlie Kaufman in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, further exploring her range by way of a noted auteur and showcasing a very impressive American accent to boot, which was also the case for her scene-stealing freakish turn in Fargo’s Season 4. At the same time she continued also taking on supporting film roles, like her rock solid turns in Misbehaviour and The Courier, and of course last year’s The Lost Daughter which she got phenomenal reviews out of the Venice Film Festival. As the younger (and rather uncanny) version of Olivia Colman’s character, many critics cited her as a highlight and standout of the film in her uncomfortably real portrayal of a struggling mother, and rode that critical momentum (including Boston Society of Film Critic and Toronto Film Critic Awards for Best Supporting Actress) to her first Oscar nomination, for Supporting Actress. Oh, and around this time she’d also done a filmed stage production of Romeo and Juliet with Josh O’Connor, and taken on the iconic role of Sally Bowles for the London Playhouse Theatre production of Cabaret (more singing!). No biggie!
So essentially by not just being booked and busy, but being booked and busy in such a wide variety of roles, Buckley has solidified herself as someone you can really put into just about any kind of project and she’ll be a highlight. This trend doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Whatever your thoughts on Men this year, one can’t deny she gives that role her all and showing how she can excel in another genre, this time horror, as the anchoring lead. And then with the upcoming Women Talking she’s been getting some rave reviews as a key ensemble member of Sarah Polley’s entourage, leading to more Oscar talk for the role of Mariche. I’m very looking forward to that, as with any other Buckley project. Her star keeps rising and I couldn't be happier.