It’s not a shocker that Jessie Buckley found herself among 2026’s Oscar nominees for her role in the critically acclaimed Hamnet; in fact, she’s a frontrunner in the Best Actress category. It’s also not surprising that the film received lots of other nominations, too. However, what is shocking is the fact that Paul Mescal did not get a nod in the Supporting Actor category. Now, his co-star has shared her thoughts on the snub.
Following the announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominees, many shared their feelings about being named. However, while Jessie Buckley spoke about getting a nod herself, she was also asked about her co-star, Paul Mescal, not getting one. That’s a huge snub, considering he was among the 2026 Golden Globe nominees and he’s up for an Actors' Award. Speaking to THR about this situation, the Agnes actress said:
Yeah, look, I think he’s extraordinary in this film. I know I’ve met a partner for life in doing this with him. I don’t know what to say apart from he is, to me, my absolute. His artistry is something that will continue to grow and be a theme in so many different ways.
Paul Mescal really is brilliant in Hamnet, and he and Jessie Buckley play out this tragic story beautifully. And while he wasn’t among this year’s Oscar nominees, his co-star made it clear that she couldn’t have played Agnes without Mescal’s William. In her words:
I know what we created together is something that’s so special to us, and I hold that so dearly in my heart, and there’s no part of Agnes that exists without Paul. There’s no part of what I created or what we created in this story which exists without Paul and what he poured into this story. So what is recognized belongs to him as much as him being recognized in his own category would.
For context, the nominees in the Best Supporting Actor category are Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn for Once Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value and Delroy Lindo for Sinners. The surprise among this group was Lindo for Sinners. Don’t get it twisted, I’m thrilled he got nominated; however, his name being in this group wasn’t predicted. I had assumed Mescal would get in.
So, it’s a double-edged sword here. While I’m happy for all the men who did get nominated, it sucks to realize who didn’t make it in, too. This year, sadly, Paul Mescal falls in that second category alongside Adam Sandler (who was snubbed for Jay Kelly) and Ariana Grande (who didn’t get nominated for Wicked: For Good).
However, thankfully, Hamnet did receive lots of nominations. Alongside Buckley’s nod, the film also got nominated for Best Picture and Best Director for Chloé Zhao. It received several nods in other categories too, including Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Costume Design and Production Design. So, while it’s sad Mescal didn’t get a nomination, there is still so much to celebrate.
Now, to see if Hamnet takes home any gold, you can watch this year’s Oscars when the ceremony airs on the 2026 TV schedule on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
