Barry Keoghan has spoken warmly about Jessie Buckley ahead of this weekend's Academy Awards, saying he was deeply moved by her performance in Hamnet and that he "couldn’t stop crying" while watching the film.
Speaking to David McCullagh on RTÉ Radio 1, the Dublin actor said Buckley was more than deserving of her Best Actress nomination for Chloé Zhao’s drama, which has also been nominated in multiple categories, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Keoghan knows a little about the pressure and excitement that comes with the Oscars, having received a Best Supporting Actor nomination in 2023 for his acclaimed performance in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Asked how Buckley might be feeling as the Oscars approach, Keoghan said: "Just full of excitement, you know. She’s lovely, Jessie, and she deserves it. I mean, she is incredible."
He went on to praise both Buckley and her co-star Paul Mescal, who lead the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel.
"I’ve seen Hamnet, her and Paul are incredible, you know," he said. "Paul invited me, and I couldn’t stop crying watching that movie, you know, even after seeing Paul’s parents and seeing what a wonderful job he’d done, and it was absolutely touching and gorgeous."
Keoghan also had words of praise for Zhao, with whom he previously worked on Marvel’s Eternals, describing Hamnet as "a beautiful film".
"And Chloé Zhao, who I’ve worked with as well, was amazing," he said, adding: "Irish luck with Jessie that night and everyone involved, and she’s absolutely incredible. I mean that."
Buckley has emerged as one of the major Irish contenders at this year’s Oscars thanks to her lead turn as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, opposite Mescal as William Shakespeare. The film tells a story of love, grief and loss that helped inspire Hamlet, and Buckley’s performance has been widely singled out during awards season.
Keoghan also spoke admiringly about Buckley’s screen presence, comparing her to another actor he greatly respects.
"She’s just got an energy as well that’s sort of unpredictable, and she’s got a sort of a... you know, there’s no structure into what she’s really doing," he said. "Patricia Arquette is sort of one of those actresses as well that I admire. She reminds me of Jessie."
Elsewhere in the interview, Keoghan gave an upbeat update on another major project, Sam Mendes’ much-discussed four-film Beatles series, in which he is playing Ringo Starr alongside Mescal, Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn.
"Oh brilliant, man, I love it. I absolutely love it," he said of making the movies.
"Sam Mendes, you know, he’s absolutely, just he’s wonderful. He’s, you know, he’s just right by your side and just, yeah, incredible. And Greg, our cinematographer, is absolutely amazing as well."
Keoghan said the cast have quickly formed a close bond while working on the films.
"But the four lads, the three lads, four of us in total, we’re just like brothers, you know," he said. "I said it earlier on, we can sit in silence, and I think that, you know, speaks volumes in terms of how comfy you are with one another."
"When you’re filming with people, you’re spending time with family, and everyone gets on each other’s nerves. And even the way certain people eat and, you know, sometimes people need space, but I really, I say it this way, we’ve not even got to that stage.
"I’ve a lot of time for the boys, and they look out for me a lot. They’re always there for me. And it’s a very magical, you know, it’s an experience and a chapter in my life that is gonna live with me forever."
Keoghan is also currently starring in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the new feature continuation of Steven Knight’s hit TV drama, which sees him star opposite Cillian Murphy.
The film follows Tommy Shelby as he is drawn back into Birmingham after his estranged son becomes caught up in a Nazi plot, with Keoghan playing Duke Shelby.
