Jessie Buckley, the Irish actress hotly tipped to win the Oscar for best actress on Sunday, could have had her career derailed by a childhood incident. According to local lore, a production of Jesus Christ Superstar almost sabotaged her path to the arts. At around age seven, she believed the man on the cross had died and was so distraught that she had to be taken backstage to meet the actor.
Buckley is the runaway favourite for her portrayal of Agnes Hathaway, William Shakespeare's wife, in the film Hamnet, based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel. If she wins, she will become the first Irish woman to claim the best actress Oscar. The only Irish women to have won acting Oscars are Brenda Fricker (best supporting actress, 1990) and Maureen O'Hara (honorary Oscar, 2014).
In Killarney, County Kerry, excitement is building. Sinead Van Bladel, a supermarket worker, made Buckley masks for her colleagues, saying: 'Everyone will tune in – she's one of our own.' Radio Kerry has offered a €1,000 prize for the most creative good luck messages, prompting songs, iced buns, and poems. Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, recorded a message of support.
Buckley's family will gather at the family-owned Buckley's bar on Sunday evening. Aunt Carol Dempsey said: 'This isn't a media spectacle for us. We want to celebrate the essence of Jessie and this moment. We're not shouters, we like to whisper.' She added: 'Accolades are important but they're not everything.'
Teachers at Buckley's school described her as 'grámhar' – full of heart – always volunteering for sport, singing, and dancing. She performed at the local musical society, came second in a BBC talent show, and trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Denis O'Connor, a bartender at the Arbutus hotel, said: 'It's great for Kerry and great for the young – she's a role model. For all her movies, she never forgot her roots.'
