Jessie Buckley is a chameleon of an actress.
Over the last few years, she’s experimented with her naturally brown hair, coloring it everything from platinum blonde to deep black and bright red.
She’s swapped her Killarney lilt for the Queen’s English, an American twang and a Glaswegian burr.
She’s taken on a wide range of roles, including a nurse, a mother who had an affair, a scarecrow, William Shakespeare’s wife, and, coming soon, the bride of Frankenstein.
At 36, she’s already achieved significant recognition, including an Olivier Award and a Critics’ Choice Award this year. She’s also been nominated for a Golden Globe and is a strong favorite to win the Best Actress Oscar during the upcoming awards season.
Almost no one would recognize her in public or remember her name from a movie’s ending credits. Even in her own village in Norfolk, she goes largely unnoticed.
Unlike most celebrities, she avoids social media and publicity. She doesn’t have an Instagram account, rarely gives interviews, and hasn’t posted on her Facebook page – where she goes by ‘Messy Jessie’ – in over three years.
During last weekend’s Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, she won Best Actress for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in the film Hamnet, which is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s popular novel. Surprisingly, many people watching on TV didn’t recognize her, even though she won the award over well-known actresses like Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, and Rose Byrne.
This is just the way Jessie likes it.
She’s a very private person who has always avoided the spotlight. As a result, she’s kept her personal life – including her husband’s and baby daughter’s names – completely out of the public eye.
This week, the Daily Mail revealed that Jessie’s husband is Freddie Sorensen, a 47-year-old who previously worked as a producer. He later changed careers and now works in the mental health field.
Honestly, she’s so selective about her projects – it’s amazing! She’s always balancing huge West End performances with these smaller, more intimate TV shows and movies. But what I love is that she always manages to sneak in a way to show off her music too – it’s clearly her true passion, and she finds a way to include it whenever she can. It’s just… perfect!
People who know Jessie are curious about why she’s so hesitant about becoming famous and avoids public attention, even though it’s likely to happen soon.
Sinead’s father, Tim Buckley, recently shared on Irish radio that his daughter isn’t comfortable with public attention or speaking at events like awards shows. He’s a poet and also helps manage the family’s hotel bar in Killarney, County Kerry.
He added of his daughter: ‘She has to psych herself like a boxer before going out there.’
As someone who’s spent years helping people live their best lives, I have to say, it struck me as a bit odd. Here’s a young woman who bravely left everything she knew – her family, her home – at just seventeen, chasing a big dream. You’d think she’d be fiercely determined, but her attitude seemed…unexpected, to say the least.
We might understand why Jessie is hesitant if we consider her initial experience with fame.
In 2008, she competed on the BBC show I’d Do Anything, judged by Andrew Lloyd Webber, for the chance to play Nancy in a new production of the musical Oliver alongside eleven other contestants.
The Jessie who appeared on television every Saturday eighteen years ago looks almost completely different today.
She charmed the country with her incredible singing, despite being shy, young-looking, and a bit innocent, with messy curls. However, she ultimately lost the competition in the final round to Jodie Prenger, who was 28 at the time.
Jessie took the loss well, congratulating Jodie, who is now a regular on Coronation Street, and calling the show a fantastic opportunity.
This week, she shared more details in an interview with Vogue magazine. She admitted that being on the show at 17 – the youngest age allowed for contestants – felt deeply damaging, and she hopes no other young woman goes through a similar experience.
I wasn’t doing well at all,” she explains. “I was really depressed and just felt unwell. A lot of things in my life were very difficult at the time.”
At seventeen, I was becoming comfortable with my changing body and exploring who I was. It’s frustrating as a woman to constantly face unwanted attention and be judged based on appearance.
‘But I didn’t recognise it fully at the time. I just felt it, which was difficult.’
Looking back, there were parts of the show that felt, at best, dated – at worst, verging on sexist.
After receiving criticism about her posture from the judges, Jessie was surprised with a special lesson: a dance class with the cast of Chicago, where she learned to dance in heels.
Meanwhile, the girls got to meet George Clooney, and the boys spent their time playing football, where they practiced working together as a team.
Jessie explained that when people are constantly pressured to change who they are to fit in, it can lead to negative self-perception and ultimately be harmful. This happens because those messages sink in and become internalized over time.
After I understood that, I’ve been focused on overcoming the harmful effects of past beliefs, letting go of unhelpful narratives, and simply living authentically.
No one realized how upset Jessie was when she didn’t win, but there was a lot of shock and disappointment – especially from Lord Lloyd Webber.
The composer recently told the Daily Mail about meeting Jessie, who had been chosen from over 6,000 applicants to appear on the live shows.
Lloyd Webber felt she was exceptionally talented, going far beyond just being a skilled musical theatre performer.
Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people, but Jessie always stood out. She just has this incredible energy and makes everything around her feel more vibrant and positive.
‘She radiates joy whenever you meet her.’
He recalls an instance from the show where he helped her practice “The Man That Got Away” – a classic song by Judy Garland from the movie A Star Is Born. The show’s producers actually suggested she sing something more contemporary, but he went ahead and coached her on the Garland tune anyway.
I’ll never forget seeing her perform. Honestly, it was breathtaking. I was completely captivated – I actually stood up during the show because I was so impressed! I turned to someone and said, ‘She’s only seventeen, and she’s performing at least as well as Judy Garland, maybe even better!’ It was that impactful.
Surprisingly, he admits, he was ‘secretly pleased she didn’t win it’.
After the show finished, I felt comfortable enough to have a more honest conversation with her. I strongly advised her – and I believe she’d already made up her mind – to avoid musical theatre and pursue drama school instead.
Throughout my six decades in this industry, I’ve noticed many incredibly skilled and talented women who, despite their potential, get stuck performing in musical theatre. They’re often typecast and never get the chance to expand their careers beyond that one area.
‘Jessie has transcended that.’
In the years that followed the show, he has kept in touch.
While working on the 2018 film Wild Rose with Julie Walters, Jessie J played her album for him in a casual meeting over coffee. They also often see each other at restaurants in both London and Los Angeles.
Lloyd Webber admitted he’d been aware of Jessie before she appeared on ‘I Do Anything,’ but he didn’t actually meet her until the show began.
My wife raises racehorses and we have a farm in Ireland. When we visited, everyone in the local village kept telling us about this incredible young girl. They said she was sixteen and exceptionally talented, and I heard about her from many people.
Jessie’s parents, Marina and Tim, were amazed she’d become Andrew Lloyd Webber’s favorite. They’d been taking turns traveling from their home in Killarney, Ireland, to London each week to support her in the studio audience, all while juggling life with their other four children – Killian, Eva, Julia, and Lily – back home.
Marina’s family is full of musical talent. She’s a skilled harpist and vocal coach now working as a music therapist. Her partner, Tim, is a poet and musician who used to run a bed and breakfast when their child, Jessie, was growing up.
Jessie quickly became known as a talented student at the Ursuline Secondary School, an all-girls’ school in Thurles, County Tipperary.
Mary Butler, a former president of the Association of Irish Musical Societies, and one of her instructors both recall her first audition. They remember she was excellent, even auditioning for a male lead in the musical Chess.
‘Jessie played all the male roles. We had nobody else who could sing like her.
‘Everything she did, she thought about it. She prepared really well, even for a school show.
‘And when she opened her mouth to sing, oh holy God, your hairs would stand on end.’
Jessie excelled in music, passing national exams in piano, clarinet, saxophone, and Irish harp. Her talent was recognized when the Royal Irish Academy of Music chose her for a high achiever award in 2001, selecting her from over 40,000 young musicians.
‘She was clearly a star, even back then,’ says the academy’s Ciara Higgins.
Previous winners of this award have included the late singer Sinéad O’Connor and actor Andrew Scott.
London offered Jessie exciting opportunities, so in February 2008, she traveled there to audition for the renowned Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Although she wasn’t accepted, she spontaneously decided to try out for the open auditions of the TV show I’d Do Anything while waiting in line on London’s South Bank.
Following the performance, Jessie decided against being Nancy’s understudy and instead remained in the city. She soon landed a role in a less expensive production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, A Little Light Music.
‘I was on £300 a week and you can’t even get the Tube in London for that,’ she has said.
As a lifestyle expert, I always admire people with hustle! This woman was a true example – she pursued her passion as a jazz singer at the exclusive Annabel’s club, but also kept things practical by working in retail, even if it meant selling cereal, to make ends meet. It’s a reminder that following your dreams often means being resourceful and wearing many hats!
One evening, a kind stranger named Tony Bernstein happened to hear her sing and generously offered to support her financially. He covered her living expenses, groceries, and the cost of attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
She accepted, calling him ‘an angel’, and went on to graduate from Rada in 2013.
Soon after, Jessie had lunch with Andrew Lloyd Webber. He remembers her telling him she planned to focus on acting and keep her singing voice private, wanting to be recognized as an actress instead.
She quickly became a successful actress, starting with a stage performance with Jude Law in Henry V, and then gaining wider recognition for her role in the BBC’s War and Peace.
It was on set that she met Grantchester star James Norton, whom she would date for a year.
Hollywood quickly noticed her talent. In 2017, she received a Bafta Rising Star nomination for her role in the thriller Beast, and later that same year, she starred in Wild Rose. Her performance in Wild Rose led to a special appearance at the Glastonbury festival, where she performed songs from the film.
She received nominations for a Bafta and an Oscar for her performance in The Lost Daughter (2021), but didn’t win either award. She worked with Olivia Colman on that film, and the two have remained close friends, later appearing together in the 2024 comedy, Wicked Little Letters.
Even though she’s quickly becoming a successful actress, people who work with her say she’s still very humble and down-to-earth.
Oh my gosh, The Buckleys are just the sweetest family! She’s so close to them, and they are SO proud. She even gave a shout-out to her brother, Killian, during her speech last Sunday – he’s always there with her at all the awards shows, it’s adorable! And her dad? He says she’s stayed completely true to herself, even with everything that’s happened, which just makes me love her even more. It’s amazing!
Music – arguably her first love – is not completely off the agenda.
Jessie starred with Eddie Redmayne in a successful 2021-2022 West End production of Cabaret, earning critical acclaim and winning an Olivier Award for Best Actress.
Lord Lloyd Webber has said he’d be thrilled to collaborate with Jessie, as she hasn’t yet played a leading role in one of his productions.
He notes that truly talented performers who can both sing and act are rare. He adds that if she ever decided to pursue music, she already has his contact information.
He understands she’s aiming for major achievements, including the Golden Globe awards this weekend and the Oscars in March. The Oscar nominations will be revealed on January 22nd.
Lloyd Webber is absolutely certain she’ll win the Oscar, stating he ‘can’t imagine her not winning.’
As someone who’s been in this field for a while, honestly, one of the biggest joys is watching talented people truly blossom. Seeing someone you already knew had potential reach their full potential and achieve great things? It’s incredibly rewarding, and I have a strong feeling this particular person is absolutely on their way to doing just that.
The movie Hamnet, which tells the story of Shakespeare’s son’s death, finished filming in late 2024. Shortly after, the lead actress discovered she was expecting her first child.
She married Freddie, whom she’d met on a blind date set up by a friend in 2018, the year before.
She and her family are now dividing their time between London and a historic manor house in the Norfolk countryside. They welcomed their daughter last spring, but her name hasn’t been publicly shared.
In an interview last year, she said having a child made her ‘feel alive’.
‘You become more honest and you become more focused about what’s important.’
Jessie, a seasoned star who’s always reinvented herself – she once joked she’s lived nine lives – is the only one who knows what she’ll do next, despite all the attention she’s receiving.
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2026-01-10 04:22