Jessie Buckley (Extended)

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Guest: Jessie Buckley (Extended)

Date: January 5, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features celebrated actor Jessie Buckley, known for her roles in "Wild Rose," "The Lost Daughter," and "Women Talking." She returns to chat with Stephen Colbert primarily about her starring role as Agnes (Shakespeare’s wife) in the new film "Hamnet." The conversation touches on Buckley’s recent entry into motherhood, her creative process, insights into her dream work, and upcoming projects—including her role as the Bride in a remake of "Bride of Frankenstein" directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Throughout the episode, the tone remains playful, warm, and intellectually curious, blending the personal and professional with wit.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jessie Buckley’s New Motherhood

• Colbert congratulates Buckley on becoming a mother since her last appearance.
• They lightly discuss the lack of sleep in early parenthood:
  • Buckley: “Who cares about sleep? That’s what I think I like... they’re so magical and I’m completely in love and changed by her. Y’know, I’ll sleep sometime.” (02:48–03:11)
• Her daughter is five months old.

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2. About "Hamnet" and Embodying Shakespeare’s Wife

• Buckley outlines the premise: "It's about love and loss and … how a story can help transcend the parts that are too hard to hold by ourselves." (03:28–03:40)
• Colbert is struck by her phrasing:

  "Say that again. I'm sorry. How a story can help hold the parts that are too hard to hold by yourself." (03:40–03:45)

• The film offers a behind-the-curtain look at Shakespeare’s personal life and how tragedy inspired the writing of "Hamlet."
• Buckley describes Agnes (Shakespeare’s wife) as:

  "A woman of the woods and a wild, embodied force of her own nature... she’s rich, she’s like, got an epic landscape inside her and is a match for this epic man." (04:28–04:59)

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3. Shakespearean Lore & The Anne Hathaway Joke

• Colbert jokingly asks about the confusion between Shakespeare’s wife (Anne Hathaway) and the actress of the same name.
• Buckley quips:

  "Apparently there's a new criteria that you must be called the actual names of the characters to get jobs nowadays." (05:21–05:38)

• She jokes about her own surname possibly making her eligible to play Jeff Buckley:

  "Actually, my dad’s name is Tim Buckley, who was Jeff Buckley’s dad. So I’m really close to that role." (05:41–05:48)

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4. On-Set Levity: Dance Parties with Director Chloé Zhao

• Buckley shares how director Chloe Zhao kept spirits high during emotionally heavy shooting for "Hamnet" by organizing weekly dance parties:

  "...at the end of the week, she would spend an hour setting up the camera to do a dance take where she basically would blast Rihanna, ‘We Found Love’... whether it was just the family or 300 extras dressed up in period costume, we'd all kind of create our own little mosh pit..." (06:02–06:36)

• There is amusing frustration over not being able to show the dance footage due to licensing ("Rihanna, come on, do a solid here!"). (06:49–07:02)

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5. Dream Work in Buckley’s Creative Process

• Buckley discusses working with a ‘dream coach’ for a decade, using dream exploration in both personal and professional contexts:

  "I’ve been curious about my dreams, and I’ve done this work for about 10 years." (07:12–07:18)

  • She uses dreamwork as part of her method to inhabit characters:

    "Anytime, you know, you open a book, the world of the book, you start responding to it in the world that you're in. And if you're really cooking, your unconscious kind of starts dreaming within that world…" (08:39–08:55)

• Colbert relates this to improv theory from Keith Johnstone:

  "He talks about being able to attend your dreams... just try not to name what's happening in your dream while it's happening... if you name it, it's like making a noise when a deer goes by in the forest, it flees." (09:48–10:18)

• Buckley emphasizes the usefulness of not overanalyzing dreams:

  "You don’t analyze it... actually, I just find that a source to be more creative." (10:18–10:43)

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6. Returning to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

• The film’s final scene is set in the reconstructed Globe in London.
• Buckley’s first professional job was at the Globe, in "The Tempest" playing Miranda:

  "And I thought I was a rock star." (10:53–11:11)

• Performing at the Globe was formative:

  "Shakespeare has been so instrumental to me recognizing myself as an actress... I thought I needed, like, something bigger than just words to express through. And then I did Shakespeare, and it blew my mind..." (11:11–11:39)

• The unique experience of outdoor theatre ("People get wet... it’s part of it. It’s beautiful. Like. Yeah. Heaven and hell.”) (12:05–12:10)

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7. On "The Bride" Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal

• Buckley confirms she’ll play the Bride in a new "Bride of Frankenstein" directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal (her "The Lost Daughter" director).
• On the Bride finally having a voice:

  "In other iterations, [the Bride] has never had a voice... in our version, she has a lot to say..." (12:31–13:06)

• She praises Gyllenhaal’s creative leadership as "brilliant, wild, provocative, uncompromising."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On motherhood:

  "Who cares about sleep? ...they’re so magical and I’m completely in love and changed by her." (02:48–03:11)

• On storytelling and grief:

  "...a story can help hold the parts that are too hard to hold by yourself." (03:40–03:45)

• On Agnes (Shakespeare's wife):

  “...a woman of the woods and is a wild, embodied force of her own nature...” (04:28–04:59)

• On being mistaken for Anne Hathaway:

  "Apparently there's a new criteria that you must be called the actual names of the characters to get jobs nowadays." (05:21–05:38)

• On dream work and creativity:

  "It’s changed, like, how I work. I’m so crap at working linearly...I would never want to project an idea of who I think these women are until I discover them..." (08:13–08:35)

• On Shakespeare’s impact:

  "...it blew my mind...how powerful just one word could be and the depths that you could go within one word to express so much." (11:23–11:39)

• On “The Bride”:

  "In our version, she has a lot to say, and it’s about..." (13:03–13:06)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:03] Jessie Buckley’s Entrance & Motherhood Discussion
• [03:28] "Hamnet"—Themes of Love, Loss, and Storytelling
• [04:28] Playing Agnes, Shakespeare's Wife
• [05:21] Anne Hathaway Name Joke
• [06:02] On-Set Dance Parties
• [07:12] Dream Work and Dreams as Creative Tools
• [08:39] Dreams Informing Character Development
• [10:53] Performing at the Globe Theatre
• [12:31] Upcoming Role in "The Bride"
• [13:06] End of Interview & Gift Segment

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Summary

Jessie Buckley’s animated conversation with Stephen Colbert offers a blend of wit, emotional honesty, and artistic insight. From navigating early motherhood to inhabiting the emotional world of Shakespeare’s wife, Buckley reveals how deeply she invests in her roles—using both joy and difficult personal experiences (even her dreams) to fuel her artistry. The lively banter covers everything from backstage dance parties to dream interpretation, all while celebrating storytelling’s power to transform grief and reveal hidden depths. Fans of cinema, theatre, and creative process will find Buckley’s candid reflections especially rewarding, punctuated by laughter and charming asides unique to Colbert’s hosting style.

Transcript

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[Jessie Buckley]

It's the Late show Poncho with Stephen.

[Dupixent Advertiser]

Colbert.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ladies and gentlemen. My next guest is a wonderful actor, you know, from Wild Rose, the lost daughter and women talking. She now stars in Hamnet. I just. Wait.

[Jessie Buckley]

I know who you are. Who am I? Well, I. I don't know you, but I've heard this. I'm the daughter of a forest witch.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, people say that, but that's.

[Jessie Buckley]

I am my mother's daughter. I've learned many things from her. What are you looking at?

[Stephen Colbert]

You. Why?

[Jessie Buckley]

I thought you were a man of words. Master tutor.

[Stephen Colbert]

Please welcome back to the Late Show. Jessie Buckley.

[Jessie Buckley]

Hello. Hi.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Hi.

[Stephen Colbert]

So nice to see you again.

[Jessie Buckley]

We do this every, like, few years around Christmas time.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Jessie Buckley]

Becoming nearly like Christmas tradition.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Well, let's close strong. Okay. So since the last time you were here, Congratulations. You became a mother. That's wonderful.

[Jessie Buckley]

Aw, thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's great.

[Angie Hicks]

Hi.

[Jessie Buckley]

I miss you.

[Angie Hicks]

I'll be home soon.

[Jessie Buckley]

I'm sorry. I love you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Daughter.

[Jessie Buckley]

Daughter.

[Stephen Colbert]

How old is she?

[Jessie Buckley]

She's five months.

[Stephen Colbert]

Five months. So a little bit below our demographic here, but okay, so. But five months. I mean, Ev and I have had three kids. Five months. That's challenging. How much are you sleeping?

[Jessie Buckley]

Um. Who cares about sleep? That's what I think I like.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, sleep. I dream of sleep.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah, not a huge amount, but it's okay. It's short, you know, they're so magical and I'm completely in love and Changed by her. That I'm. You know, I'll sleep sometime.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. The new film, Hamnet, you play Shakespeare's wife, and Paul Mescal plays the bard, William Shakespeare. It's based on a novel of the same name, Hamnet. And for the uninitiated, what's it about?

[Jessie Buckley]

Well, it's about love and loss and I guess how, you know, a story can help transcend the parts that are too hard to hold by ourselves and really.

[Stephen Colbert]

Say that again. I'm sorry. How a story can help hold the parts that are too hard to hold by yourself.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. Grief.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, I see.

[Jessie Buckley]

And I guess it's a kind of imaginary look behind this giant of a man to see who are the most personal parts of what might have inspired him to write his great plays and ultimately Hamlet.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I don't think I'm giving anything away here when I say that people, we know that Shakespeare's actual son, Hamnet, dies.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. It's written down that his son's name was Hamnet and that he died, and.

[Stephen Colbert]

Then shortly thereafter, he wrote Hamlet. And that's the vessel that contains the grief, the story that can be told when the pain of the life can't be faced.

[Jessie Buckley]

I guess so. I guess it's like, you know. Well, it's about Will meeting this woman called Agnes. And she is a woman of the woods and is a wild, embodied force of her own nature and kind of lives within the precipice of life and death in her own mystical, ancient way. You know, she's rich. She's, like, got an epic landscape inside her and is a match for this epic man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, just in that clip right there. She's right on top of every one of his answers.

[Jessie Buckley]

Oh, yeah. I love that. She sounds like my kind of woman.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, what did you know about Shakespeare's wife before doing this part? Who? I know she's called Agnes here. She's confusingly, I. You know, when I was younger, when I learned about Shakespeare. She's confusingly called Anne Hathaway.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. Yeah. I think there are people who are really, like, upset that Anne Hathaway wasn't playing Anne Hathaway. And apparently there's a new criteria that you must be called the actual names of the characters to get jobs nowadays.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Jessie Buckley. You could play Jeff Buckley in a pinch if you had to.

[Jessie Buckley]

Well, actually, my dad's name is Tim Buckley, who was Jeff Buckley's dad. So I'm really close to that role. Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'd love to hear you sing. Hallelujah.

[Jessie Buckley]

Oh, I Mean, I love Jeff Buckley.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's a beautiful film. It has its own weight and its own sadness. What did you guys do to keep it light on set?

[Jessie Buckley]

Well, the masterful Chloe Zhao, who directed the film, would. Every week we would have danced. So we'd have, you know, have gone through a lot as a family in these weeks and lived a lot and loved a lot and lost a lot. But at the end of the week, she would spend an hour setting up the camera to do a dance take where she basically would blast Rihanna. We found love at the top of, you know, the sound system. And whether it was just the family or 300 extras dressed up in period costume, we'd all kind of create our own little mosh pit to do it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Is there footage of this somewhere?

[Jessie Buckley]

Yes. And it's so embarrassing. Cause I've actually talked about this quite a lot now, and Rhiannon must be like, can you just please stop asking me? But it's really expensive to get that song.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, oh. So that's why you can't show it. So we can show Rihanna. Come on, do a solid here. I'll talk to her.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, please, I'll call her. I understand you've worked with the Dream Coach while doing this film. Was that a new thing for you? That sounds fascinating.

[Jessie Buckley]

No, I've done it for. I mean, I've been curious about my dreams, and I've done this work for about 10 years.

[Stephen Colbert]

For yourself or for parts?

[Jessie Buckley]

For both. I started doing it during COVID which probably wasn't 10 years ago. I don't know time anymore. I'm a new mother who hasn't slept.

[Stephen Colbert]

You have psychosis.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Exactly.

[Jessie Buckley]

And I.

[Stephen Colbert]

What do you do? What is the dream work? Like, do you, like, work to have lucid dreams or do you keep a journal? What do you do?

[Jessie Buckley]

Well, you just start becoming conscious of your dreams and writing them down. And then you kind of. I guess, with the woman that I work with, she kind of meditates you down into the dream, and you start exploring the dream and stream of consciousness.

[Stephen Colbert]

The dream you've already had.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And you sort of re. Enter the dream.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. So you're, like, investigating the dream in a kind of lucid wake.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so you perceive the dream that you've had before again.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's fantastic.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. It's so fascinating. It's changed, like, how I work. I'm so crap at working linearly. Like, whenever I get a script, if someone's like, who is this person? I don't know. And I would never want to project an idea of who I think these women are until I discover them in the best way while I'm playing them. And this gives me access, because anytime, you know, you open a book, the world of the book, you start responding to it in the world that you're in. And if you're really cooking, your unconscious kind of starts dreaming within that world. And so it just gives me an abstract way to, I guess, stir the pot of the world I'm in, and then I don't have to, like, hold anything too heavy on top of it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you dream the character?

[Jessie Buckley]

No, sometimes. I mean, sometimes you might dream the people that you're working with in it. Sometimes it's, you know, like, just like during Hamnet, I had this dream about a swordfish suffocating a rock. And that was like.

[Stephen Colbert]

The swordfish was suffocating the rock?

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah, like rock, paper, scissors, but with a swordfish.

[Stephen Colbert]

So, rock, swordfish, Swordfish.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah, something like that.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Wow.

[Jessie Buckley]

I mean, it's me, you know, I feel kind of. I always find it hard to talk about them because, you know, dreams are quite private things, and they're absolutely. Some of them. I wouldn't even dare to tell you what I've dreamt about.

[Stephen Colbert]

What did you do?

[Jessie Buckley]

Not like that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you know the work of. Do you know Keith Johnstone?

[Jessie Buckley]

No.

[Stephen Colbert]

No. He is a British director who worked a lot in improvisation, and he. He's got a great book called Impro that I recommend to young improvisers, and he talks about being able to attend your dreams. He doesn't say lucid dreaming. He says, just try not to name what's happening in your dream while it's happening. And then you'll find that it won't go away and they'll have solidity and you can walk into the house that's in the dream. But if you name it, it's like making a noise. When a deer goes by in the forest, it flees.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah. You don't analyze it. It's not something that you're trying to make a mathematical mythologize. Yeah. Or mathematical. They're interpretations. And actually, I just find that a source to be more creative. Like, as I've worked with it, with my work, I've made so much beyond even just the film. Like, it's helped me write songs. I've made pieces, you know, writing. And it's been. Yeah, it's great.

[Stephen Colbert]

The final scene of Hamnet takes place in the iconic Globe Theatre in London, which has been rebuilt in its original form. There. Did you ever perform on the Globe?

[Jessie Buckley]

I did. I did my first ever job at the Globe Theatre.

[Stephen Colbert]

Your first job? What was it?

[Jessie Buckley]

It was the Tempest with Roger Allum. And I thought I was a rock star.

[Stephen Colbert]

Were you, Ariel? Who were you?

[Jessie Buckley]

I was Miranda. But it's such a unique experience, you know, And Shakespeare has been so instrumental to me recognizing myself as an actress because I thought I would sing when I was younger. And then I thought I needed, like, something bigger than just words to express through. And then I did Shakespeare, and it blew my mind that how powerful just one word could be and the depths that you could go within one word to express so much. And after I left. Rad. It was the first. Yeah, my first job. And you can see the audience's faces as you're. As you're doing it and having this, like, really present, wild conversation with people who are Shakespeare nuts and also people who are, like, standing at the side looking at you, you know, looking at the script to see what words you've got wrong.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's famously open. What happens when it rains?

[Jessie Buckley]

We keep going.

[Stephen Colbert]

People get wet.

[Jessie Buckley]

Yeah, it's part of it. It's beautiful. Like. Yeah. Heaven and hell.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, you're also reuniting with Maggie Gyllenhaal, who directed you in the Lost Daughter for a new film called the Bride, a remake of the Bride of Frankenstein. You play the Bride. I watched the trailer today. It looks fantastic and wild. Did you have fun?

[Jessie Buckley]

Oh, yeah, I had so much fun. I mean, you know Maggie. Yeah. And you know her. Brilliant, wild, provocative, uncompromising mind. And the Bride, the Bride of Frankenstein, in other iterations, has never had a voice. You know, she's been born to be the mate of this archetypal giant monster that is Frankenstein. And in our version, she has a lot to say, and it's about. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, before you go, we have a little present for you and for your daughter. Four or five months, it may not fit anymore, but that will be squeezing in. You look fantastic. Thank you so much.

[Jessie Buckley]

Thank you so much. Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hamnet is in theaters now. Jesse Buckley, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show POD show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

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