Jessie Buckley, the Irish actor favoured to win the Oscar for best actress for her role in Hamnet, has attempted to clarify comments she made about cats that sparked a backlash among pet lovers. In a recent podcast, Buckley said she gave her now-husband an ultimatum to get rid of his two cats because they defecated on pillows, stating, 'It's me or the cats.'
The remarks went viral, with cat owners accusing her of being mean and controlling. Some commentators warned of 'kitty karma' potentially costing her the Academy Award at the ceremony on 15 March. Buckley addressed the controversy on Jimmy Fallon's chatshow on Thursday, calling it a 'misconception' that she hates cats. 'I am a lover of cats,' she said, adding that she felt 'sick' over the misunderstanding.
Buckley also revealed she once auditioned for the 2019 musical Cats, describing it as 'the worst audition of my life.' She recalled, 'I was sweating. I was like, licking my paws, like trying to leap. I was just like a hoof of an Irish woman leaping across and licking her paws.'
Despite the controversy, Buckley remains the frontrunner for the Oscar, having already won the Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, Bafta and Actor awards. Her co-star Paul Mescal, who also expressed disdain for cats in the same podcast, has not commented.
