Jessie Buckley will return to the theatre stage in 2028 (Picture: Getty Images)
It was just eight months ago that she won the best actress Oscar, but this star will be grounding herself on the West End stage with a very humble wage.
Hamnet actress Jessie Buckley will make her debut at London’s Royal Court Theatre starring in Afterbirth, an unflinching look at the reality of life after giving birth. It has been written by Nina Segal with direction from Maria Aberg, and will debut in January 2028.
However, while Jessie, 36, is reportedly used to commanding up to £4.5million for her blockbuster roles, she’s said to be taking a massive pay cut for her upcoming theatre performance.
According to The Times, the Irish star could be paid just £140 per day, which is the going ‘company rate’ that others receive at the Royal Court based on West End union agreements.
It’s suggested that Jessie’s earnings per week will be a total of £971 for eight performances of Afterbirth.
Speaking to the publication, David Byrne, the theatre’s artistic director, said that he could tell ‘Jessie had an interest in coming back to theatre’ and that the Royal Court would ‘excite her’.
He said the venue had ‘real momentum’ and was a ‘tantalising proposition for actors, directors, designers and particularly playwrights to engage their talents around a new totally original play… It is untrodden snow.’
Jessie will follow in the footsteps of other A-list actors who have taken sizeable pay cuts for the love of their art.
Tilda Swinton recently appeared at the 400-seat theatre in Manfred Karge’s Man to Man for the same fee, while Gary Oldman and John Lithgow were paid the same for their performances in the past couple of years.
It will be a return to the stage for Jessie, who rose to fame as a contestant on the BBC’s I’d Do Anything.
She revealed her admiration for theatre actors after working on Shakespeare productions throughout her career.
‘I have the upmost respect for musical theatre actors, their dedication to what they do is extraordinary. And fundamentally the two fields are not so different,’ she told What’s On Stage in 2013.
Jessie won an Oscar for her performance in Hamnet (Picture: PA)
‘This year I’ve done both, and the way I apply myself in theatre and musical theatre isn’t different at all. I think as an actor you have to make choices about the kind of work you want to do and not leave it up to agents or people who want to put you into pigeonholes.’
Since her humble beginnings, Jessie has gone on to wow Hollywood with performances in films such as The Lost Daughter, Men, Women Talking and The Bride!.
In March this year, she walked away with the best actress award at the Academy Awards for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet alongside Paul Mescal. She also won a Golden Globe and Bafta for the role.
Afterbirth opens at the Royal Court Theatre on January 15, 2028, before closing on February 26, 2028.
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