The 2026 awards season has seen the British-Irish drama Hamnet surge to the forefront, with its cast and creative team earning widespread acclaim and a slew of prestigious nominations. On January 10, 2026, Hamnet star Jacobi Jupe joined ABC News Live to discuss the film’s impact and his reaction to its many notable nods. The conversation comes as the film, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, garners recognition across major awards bodies, including a commanding presence on the BAFTA Film Awards longlists.
According to Variety, Paul Mescal’s portrayal of a grieving Shakespeare is at the very heart of Hamnet. The film explores the emotional turmoil Shakespeare experiences after the loss of his son, Hamnet, and how this grief ultimately inspires him to write the legendary play Hamlet. From the outset, Zhao and cinematographer Łukasz Żal worked to visually distinguish the personalities of Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, played by Jessie Buckley. Żal explained, “He [Will] is stuck in his family house, this place where he’s always teaching. The windows are small, and he’s always inside, always in a structure.” This sense of confinement is contrasted with the openness surrounding Agnes, a free spirit whose world feels expansive and light—at least until tragedy strikes.
Żal and Zhao’s creative approach was to make the audience feel the intensity of Will and Agnes’s love, so that the pain of their separation would hit all the harder. “When they are together, we become closer and follow the emotions,” Żal said. But after Hamnet’s death, everything changes. The film’s palette darkens, the skies grow heavy, and the camera lingers on the isolation that envelops both parents. “They are alone in their frames, and they’re not connected anymore. The camera is still, slow and uncomfortably slow.” It’s a cinematic language that lets viewers feel the depth of the characters’ grief without a word being spoken.
The transformation of Will’s character is also reflected in costume designer Malgosia Turzanska’s work. Drawing inspiration from sportswear, Turzanska padded Will’s clothing, almost as if to shield him from the emotional blows inflicted by his father. Subtle details, such as the slashes in Will’s sleeves, grow larger as the story progresses, symbolizing wounds that deepen over time. A toothpick necklace becomes a visual metaphor for the father’s constant criticism—always “picking” at his son. After Hamnet’s death, Will’s journey takes him to London, where he completes Hamlet. For the play’s opening at the Globe Theatre, Turzanska dressed Mescal’s Will in linen and clay, referencing historical burial practices and visually representing a man broken by loss. As the film reaches its conclusion, Will washes off the clay, a moment both literal and symbolic. Composer Max Richter described the score accompanying this sequence as “the almost darkened version of this choral, vocal cloud, which we’ve had from the beginning, connected to Agnes and nature. But it’s almost like the cloud of a moonless night. So it’s kind of super dark.”
Mescal himself spoke to Variety about the challenge of portraying such a complex emotional arc. “I didn’t think about navigating it from, like, love to grief. I think I looked at it as analyzing somebody’s life,” he said. He emphasized the importance of making the audience believe in the depth of Will and Agnes’s love, so that their loss felt authentic. “The more that we could really make an audience feel these two people were madly in love with each other, the more that we would feel the loss of their connection in the middle act and the final act a little bit.” Mescal also reflected on the pressure of delivering the climactic scene where Will, covered in clay, must convey the cost of his grief. “We see how present Agnes’ grief is with the children because, ultimately, she’s at home with them for the vast majority of the film. And that’s really Will’s opportunity with an audience—to let them in, to see the cost of the loss of Hamnet and the impact that it has had on him.”
Recognition for these creative achievements has come swiftly. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Hamnet received 14 mentions on the BAFTA Film Awards 2026 longlists, tying it with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and trailing only Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which led with 16. Hamnet is in contention for Best Film, Best Director for Zhao, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other categories. The film’s cast has also been singled out, with Jessie Buckley earning a place on the Leading Actress longlist and Paul Mescal recognized in the Supporting Actor category. Emily Watson’s supporting role in Hamnet also secured her a spot on the longlist. The BAFTA ceremony, hosted by Alan Cumming, is set for February 22, 2026, at London’s Royal Festival Hall, with the next round of voting to determine final nominations taking place from January 9 to January 20.
These accolades are not just a testament to the film’s technical and artistic merits, but also to its emotional resonance. On ABC News Live, Jacobi Jupe expressed gratitude and excitement about the film’s recognition. He spoke candidly about the cast’s dedication to telling a story that is both intimate and universal. “It’s an honor to be a part of something that connects with people on such a deep level,” Jupe said. The film’s ability to translate personal loss into a narrative that resonates with audiences and critics alike has been a recurring theme in coverage by outlets such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
The journey of Hamnet from page to screen is itself a story of transformation. Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, the film reimagines the life of Shakespeare’s family, focusing on the oft-overlooked tragedy of his son’s early death. With Zhao’s direction, Żal’s evocative cinematography, Turzanska’s symbolic costumes, and Richter’s haunting score, the film weaves a tapestry of loss, love, and artistic rebirth. The cast, led by Mescal and Buckley, delivers performances that are both raw and nuanced, grounding the film’s historical setting in emotions that feel timeless.
As the 2026 awards season unfolds, all eyes will be on Hamnet and its creators. Whether or not the film takes home the top prizes, its impact on audiences and the industry is already clear. The film’s exploration of grief and creativity, coupled with its technical prowess and heartfelt performances, has set a new standard for literary adaptations on screen. For fans of Shakespeare, lovers of cinema, and anyone who has grappled with loss, Hamnet offers a powerful reminder of art’s ability to transform pain into beauty.
