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[Jessie Buckley on 'Hamnet,' Motherhood, and the Power of Unconscious Creativity]-[Jessie Buckley loves the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters]

Fresh Air · B2 · 2026-03-02

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📋 Summary

The Art of Presence and Unconscious Creativity: An Interview with Jessie Buckley

In a recent episode of Fresh Air, host Terry Gross sat down with acclaimed actress Jessie Buckley to discuss her Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning performance in the film Hamnet. The conversation traversed the complexities of portraying historical figures, the intersection of motherhood and performance, and Buckley’s unique, dream-based approach to character development.

Reclaiming Agnes Hathaway

Buckley portrays Agnes Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, in a film that largely reimagines her life. Historically, Agnes has been unfairly maligned; Buckley notes that she was often given the title of a woman who "kept him back from his genius." In contrast, the film, based on Maggie O'Farrell’s novel, depicts Agnes as a woman deeply connected to nature and possessing an "uncompromising embodiment" of her elemental self. Buckley reflects that Agnes’s association with witchcraft or being a "forest witch" was simply society’s fear of a woman who existed outside the emerging structures of puritanism and capitalism. By portraying Agnes, Buckley sought to give status to a woman who was "full and vibrant" rather than a mere footnote in the life of a great man.

The Anatomy of Grief and Tenderness

One of the most harrowing scenes in Hamnet involves the death of the couple's son. Buckley describes this moment not as a rehearsed performance, but as a spontaneous eruption of emotion born from her deep bond with her co-stars. She explains that "the death of a child is unfathomable" and that she tried to touch an "imaginary truth" of that grief. Having become a mother shortly after filming, Buckley admits that the role offered her a lesson in "tenderness," a feeling she describes as "ferocious." She emphasizes that motherhood humbles you and brings you onto a "wild journey," where one is constantly on the "precipice of life and death."

Dream Analysis as a Creative Tool

Buckley’s process is notably abstract. She works with a coach who uses dream analysis, a method she finds more effective than "linear thoughts or formulaic" approaches. During the production of Hamnet, she recounted a dream involving an ocean and a stingray, which she consciously carried into her performance of the film's grief-stricken scenes. She views dreams as a "language of metaphors" and a vital tool for accessing the "shadowy bits" of her psyche. This approach allows her to "abstractly enter into an essence of a being" rather than forcing a predefined projection onto the character.

From Musical Theater to Dramatic Acting

Buckley’s career began in the public eye through a singing competition, an experience she describes as "raw and ignorant" but full of passion. Reflecting on the criticism she faced as a teenager—including being sent to a "femininity school" to learn how to walk in heels—Buckley expresses a firm rejection of such restrictive standards. She advocates for women to have "autonomy" and to embrace all their "shapes and stories." Her later transition to Shakespearean roles, supported by theater luminaries like Cameron McIntosh, proved pivotal. She discovered that Shakespeare’s words are "bottomless," providing a vessel for her emotions that she previously thought only music could hold.

Balancing Passion and Motherhood

As she navigates her career alongside the realities of being a mother, Buckley admits to feeling a "constant tug" between her professional drive and her personal life. However, she remains steadfast in her belief that motherhood and artistic creation are not mutually exclusive. She hopes to impart to her daughter that "life is beautiful and great and complex and alive," and that there is no part of oneself that needs to be diminished to fulfill the role of a mother. Ultimately, Buckley continues to seek out roles that are "crunchy" and "disobedient," driven by a profound desire to explore the full landscape of the human experience.

🎯Key Sentences

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There's nothing anyone could have done to save him.
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You did everything that you could.
3
You mean it wasn't positive or there wasn't a lot?
4
I believe in energy.
5
I didn't know that that was going to happen or come out.
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📝Key Phrases

1
life is in jeopardy
2
pay enough attention to
3
all the while
4
take over your government
5
trip down memory lane
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📖 Transcript

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