Jessie Buckley’s most impressive roles as the 2026 Oscar frontrunne

Five years ago, fate gave Jessie Buckley a clear sign. Seeking refuge from a bleak London during the pandemic, the actress found her new sanctuary in a 16th-century castle hidden among the canals and windmills of Norfolk. Traces of previous lives were visible everywhere, from magical symbols meant to ward off witches to a lush country garden overgrown with rosemary and thyme, much like the one that belonged to Shakespeare’s wife in her native Warwickshire. Today, in the film Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao, Jessie embodies Agnes Hathaway in a stripped-down and uncompromising way, earning her Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe accolades, and now officially an Academy Award nomination for 2026. Still, her story does not begin with this moving work.

Namely, Jessie Buckley’s first appearance on screen was on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, which aimed to find an unknown actress for the role of Nancy in a revived West End production of the musical Oliver!. Although she finished in second place, it proved to be a powerful launch for her acting career, after which she landed her first major role in the 2016 miniseries War & Peace.

Since 2020, her career has seen a rapid rise thanks to roles in the Netflix films I’m Thinking of Ending Things and The Lost Daughter, the aforementioned Hamnet, as well as the upcoming and highly anticipated The Bride!. Below, we highlight Jessie Buckley’s most impressive roles, all worth revisiting after the masterful film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestseller, directed by Chloé Zhao.

Related: The 2026 Oscar nominations are out

War & Peace (2016)

The director of Wild Rose, later on this list, Tom Harper, also helmed the BBC adaptation of War & Peace, based on Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the story follows the lives and loves of a group of Russian aristocrats, including Buckley’s character, Princess Marya Bolkonskaya. Although this epic drama runs for more than six hours, every minute is justified.

War & Peace

Taboo (2017)

The series Taboo follows James Delaney, who returns to London after 12 years abroad to claim the vast inheritance of his father, Horace. His sudden return provokes numerous enemies as he attempts to uncover the conspiracy behind his father’s death. Jessie plays a significant role as Lorna Bow, an actress who was married to Horace in the final years of his life. Although she received no award nominations for this role, the series itself earned two Emmy nominations.

Beast (2017)

Jessie Buckley’s breakthrough came when she starred opposite Johnny Flynn in Michael Pearce’s turbulent romantic thriller about two outsiders colliding on the windswept hills of the island of Jersey. With remarkable subtlety, thoughtfulness, and a powerful ability to convey extreme emotional states, she shows exactly what she is made of as an actress, which later earned her the Most Promising Newcomer award at the British Independent Film Awards.

Wild Rose (2018)

In this musical drama, Jessie Buckley plays Rose-Lynn Harlan, a country singer dreaming of stardom. Fresh out of prison, torn between family responsibilities and professional ambition, Rose-Lynn’s climb toward the top becomes a story of perseverance and redemption. This was the first film to bring Jessie serious attention during awards season, earning widespread critical praise and her first BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Chernobyl (2019)

The most acclaimed role of Jessie Buckley’s career to date is her performance in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, a harrowing reinterpretation of the 1986 nuclear disaster, created by Craig Mazin. Alongside a stellar cast including Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, and Emily Watson, Jessie Buckley portrays Lyudmilla Ignatenko, a pregnant woman whose husband, a firefighter, was at the site of the accident immediately after the explosion. This role brought significant international attention to her work for the first time.

Chernobyl

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

This mental whirlwind directed by Charlie Kaufman revolves around the enigmatic Jessie Buckley as Jake’s conflicted girlfriend, and a socially awkward young man played by Jesse Plemons, as he takes her to meet his deeply eccentric parents, portrayed by Toni Collette and David Thewlis. Chaos erupts on all sides, and her hypnotic, fully committed performance keeps you glued to the screen.

Fargo (2020)

Based on the cult 1996 film by the Coen brothers, Fargo is a crime anthology series in which each season is set in a different part of the American Midwest. Jessie Buckley appears in the fourth season, which follows a power struggle between two rival crime syndicates in 1950s Kansas City. She plays Oraetta Mayflower, a nurse whose cheerful demeanor conceals a chilling secret.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

One of the most successful directorial debuts of 2021, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film tells the story of Leda Caruso, an older academic who, after a chance encounter with a young mother, reflects on her own life. In the present-day timeline, Leda is played by Olivia Colman, while Jessie appears in flashbacks as the younger version of the same character. Both Colman and Buckley received Academy Award nominations for their performances, with Jessie portraying a young, exhausted mother struggling to stay afloat amid the joys and fractures of parenthood, while the film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Women Talking (2022)

Opposite the composed Rooney Mara and the furious Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley is the lone dissenting voice in Sarah Polley’s powerful film, which depicts a group of women and girls from an isolated Mennonite community as they debate how to respond to a series of brutal assaults by men from their own ranks. Her explosive central scene, in which all defensive walls collapse and the truth finally surfaces, was a masterclass in acting.

Women Talking

The Bride! (2026)

While Guillermo del Toro recently made a new version of Frankenstein for Netflix, actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal now offers her own take on the myth. In Mary Shelley’s 1804 gothic novel, the monster asks only one thing of his creator, that he make him a bride. A companion who would, like him, defy death and help him bear the burden of eternal life. Although the scientist initially agrees to fulfill his request, he ultimately destroys the future bride before her creation is complete, fearing he would once again violate the laws of nature. In this romantic horror film, set to premiere in March 2026, Jessie Buckley brings back to life a character long neglected by popular culture.