Jessie Buckley says she was ‘brutalised’ and experienced ‘unfair objectification’ as a teen on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s TV talent show I’d Do Anything
Jessie Buckley says she was ‘brutally treated’ and subjected to ‘unfair objectification’ during her stint on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s TV talent show I’d Do Anything.
The 36-year-old actress began her career in 2008 as a contestant on the reality show, a competition to win the role of Nancy in the West End production of the hit musical Oliver!
She finished second to winner Jodie Prenger, and Jessie admitted she struggled during her time on TV, saying she was “not good” and had been subjected to “unfair objectification”.
Jessie said Vogue magazine: ‘I was 17 years old. I was in a moment of discovery. As women, this is such an unfair objectification… At that time, I was trying to move into a space that was just my own.
‘I hope a woman of any age, 15, 17, will never be subjected to brutality like she did on that show. But I didn’t fully recognize it at the time. ‘I just felt it and it was so hard.’
‘Looking back, it’s crazy. And I said: ‘Oh my God. I can already look behind this curtain. I will sing. I’ll be a part of this industry that I really hope to be a part of.’
Jessie Buckley says she was ‘brutalised’ during her stint on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘crazy’ TV talent show I’d Do Anything
The 36-year-old actress began her career in 2008 as a contestant on the reality show, a competition to win the role of Nancy in the West End production of the hit musical Oliver!
‘When I look back I feel like: ‘God, you were so brave.’ I don’t know if I would have that courage now. And I don’t know if it’s some kind of innocence or ignorance.’
But behind the scenes, his mental health was deteriorating. He added: ‘[I] It wasn’t exactly good. I was depressed and not well.
‘There were a lot of things that were really awful.’
Jessie revealed that she particularly suffered from ‘body shaming’, adding: ‘And she brought me to femdom school. And I was growing inside my body.’
After placing second in the competition, he was offered the chance to be Prenger’s understudy at Oliver! – and Jessie goes to the office of famous theater producer Cameron Mackintosh and admits that she turned down the job.
He explained: ‘I walked into his office, rang the bell and said: ‘Is Cameron Mackintosh here? ‘Thank you, but I won’t take that job.’
Jessie booked numerous theater work and later moved into television and film, making her film debut in 2017 in the thriller Beast.
The RADA graduate has appeared in BBC productions such as War & Peace (2016) and Taboo (2017), but it was her role as an aspiring country music singer in Wild Rose, released in 2018, that broke out for her.
She finished second to winner Jodie Prenger and Jessie has now admitted she struggled with her time on TV
She has appeared in BBC productions such as War and Peace and Taboo, but her breakthrough role as an aspiring country music singer in Wild Rose (pictured), released in 2018, was her breakthrough.
As a result, she was nominated for a BAFTA – missing out on Judy Garland star Renée Zellweger – but managed to pick up the British Academy Scottish Award for her role.
Jessie went on to star in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl and FX’s Fargo, and was recognized by Forbes in its annual 30 Under 30 list in 2019.
But it was her role in 2021’s The Lost Daughter that brought Jessie global recognition, earning her both her second BAFTA and first Academy Award nomination; but was inducted at both ceremonies by West Side Story star Ariana DeBose.
She played the younger role of Olivia Colman’s character in the drama, portraying Leda, a woman shaped by the guilt of abandoning her young daughters for a career in academia.
Jessie explained that the role allowed her to reflect on her childhood growing up in County Kerry, Ireland, as the eldest of five children.
He was immersed in music and creativity from a young age, alongside his musician father Tim and vocal coach mother Marina.
Photo taken after Jessie won the Critics’ Choice award for her life-changing role as Hamnet on Sunday night
Jessie saw her mother for the first time in two years at the London Film Festival premiere of The Lost Daughter, the only member of her family to come from Ireland.
Discussing the reunion, he told GQ: ‘It was really emotional. I mean, so much has happened in two years. It was so amazing to share this film with him.’
Reflecting on their relationship, he added: ‘My mother worked all her life. She would literally give birth and two days later play at someone’s wedding, you know, she always did that.
‘And it’s hard to balance being a mother, a wife and being your own person. What did I get out of this? [The Lost Daughter] It was: ‘Who are we to decide what being a good mother is?’
