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Last night, Jessie Buckley took home her first Academy Award for her emotional performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet. But, long before she was an Oscar winner, did you know that she appeared in a competition show from Andrew Lloyd Webber?
In 2008, the famed Broadway songwriter, with the help of producer Cameron Mackintosh, put together a UK show to find new talent to play the character of Nancy in the West End revival of Olivier!
The series spotlighted several up-and-coming musical theater performers who would go on to have notable professional careers, including Rachel Tucker, Samantha Barks, and Buckley, who ultimately came in second.
Only 17 at the time, Buckley sang several musical theater staples during her time on the show, including numbers from Dreamgirls and A Chorus Line, along with other performances of songs from Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, and more.
Take a look at a few early performances from the new Oscar winner below!
As Long As He Needs Me- Oliver!
The Man That Got Away- A Star is Born
One Night Only- Dreamgirls
After impressing the world with her vocal chops and star power on the series, Jessie Buckley nabbed prominent stage roles, beginning with a U.K. revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. She also played Miranda in The Tempest, Princess Katharine in Henry V, and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale before her first major TV role in the BBC’s War & Peace series.
Since then, her career has skyrocketed, with TV roles in The Last Post, The Woman in White, and Fargo as well as film credits that include Wild Rose, Judy, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, The Lost Daughter, and Women Talking. For her performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
However, amid all of her onscreen success, she still returns to the theater for stage projects, starring alongside Josh O’Connor in Romeo & Juliet at the National Theatre and leading the 2022 West End revival of Cabaret with Eddie Redmayne. For her performance as Sally Bowles, she received an Olivier Award.
For her work in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Buckley has received a slew of accolades for the film, including the Golden Globe Award, the Actor Award, the BAFTA, and the Critics’ Choice Award, and now, the Oscar. Buckley’s latest project, The Bride!, is now playing in theaters.
