The Oscar favorite reveals the “essential” role of acting in an adolescence marked by depression and an eating disorder. “It was difficult”

The actress, nominated for an Oscar for best actress for her role in “Hamnet,” revealed that her passion for her job helped her overcome depression and an eating disorder in her teens, according to the BBC.

Jessie Buckley received numerous awards for her production of Hamnet, in which she plays William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway. The film also has eight nominations at the Academy Awards in mid-March, and pundits see the 36-year-old Irish actress as favorite to win the best actress statuette.

Buckley, from Killarney, Co Kerry but now living in Norfolk, told BBC Radio 4 that acting was “essential” to her and improved her mental health.

“I didn't know how to live the way I wanted”

The artist, who is also a singer, and in 2022 was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, said that she does not regret the hard times she went through.

“I didn't know how to live the way I wanted and it was difficult,” she confessed. “But I don't regret it for a second, and I think I've been able to turn things around and recognize our vulnerabilities as people in the world,” Buckley said.

“You can't go through life without being affected, but you can turn that into something that allows you to be more human and alive in the way you want to be,” the actress pointed out.

“There were moments where I was like, 'If I don't get better here, with this music, with being part of the theater — I'm not going to be able to do this anymore, and I'm probably not going to survive,'” Buckley continued.

“I said to myself: 'I don't want to sacrifice this, this is more important than that,' and I won,” she added.

His role in Hamnet has already won him a Golden Globe and a Bafta Award, among other accolades.

Jessie Buckley also spoke about her first appearance on stage: “It was like drinking water, you know? I just think the more I did it, the more I realized it was essential to me.”