‘Disobedient, curious and human’ – Jessie Buckley’s BAFTAs speech is a love letter to women who inspire her

Jessie Buckley poses with the award for Best leading actress in the film "Hamnet" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London — (Image credit: Justin TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Jessie Buckley has become the first Irish actress to win a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Best Actress at this year's ceremony held on February 22.

The 36-year-old star took home the accolade for her portrayal of Shakespeare's grieving wife Agnes, in the film Hamnet.

A post shared by BBC iPlayer (@bbciplayer)
A photo posted by on

Jessie thanks those who believed in her, encouraging her to be "disobedient, curious and human."

She continues to add that the award "really does belong to the women past, present and future, who have taught me and continue to teach me how to do it differently."

Acknowledging the others nominated in her category, Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Emma Stone (Bugonia), Jessie described the impact of her fellow female actresses on her.

"You are all just radical and doing it for the naughty girls, and I'm in awe of all your incredible performances," she says.

Describing her belief in storytelling and the impact it has on communities, the actress asserts the importance of "women's voices to tell those stories."

"Chloe Zhao, you are making history tonight as a storyteller," she pointedly tells Hamnet's director, thanking her for "uncompromising artistry."

Jessie Buckley, winner of Leading Actress Award for 'Hamnet', poses in the winners room during the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall

Maggie O'Farrell, the author of the Hamnet novel, received a nod from Jessie, who concluded her speech with a poignant moment to talk about her daughter.

"I'd like to share this with my daughter," she says, adding, "who's been with me since she was six weeks old on the road with this."

"It's the best role of my life being your mum, and I promise to continue being disobedient so that you can belong to a world in all your mad, complex wildness as a young woman."

She finishes, "I'm very grateful for this."

Lucy is a multi-award nominated writer and blogger with seven years’ experience writing about entertainment, parenting and family life. Lucy worked as a freelance writer and journalist at the likes of PS and moms.com, before joining GoodtoKnow as an entertainment writer, and then as news editor. The pull to return to the world of television was strong, and she was delighted to take a position at woman&home to once again watch the best shows out there, and tell you why you should watch them too.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.