Jessie time to shine: 'PEOPLE TURNED THEIR BACKS ON ME'

It’s taken time for the talented star to get noticed, but now Hollywood’s knocking

- Judy Kean

Actress/singer Jessie Buckley knows a thing or two about not being considered quite good enough. As a teenager, she was turned

down by two London drama schools. Later tipped to win UK TV series I’d Do Anything, which searched for an unknown performer to play Nancy in a West End production of Oliver!, she was pipped at the post and came second.

And she recently missed out on getting an Oscar, after being nominated in the Supporting Actress category for her role as a younger version of Olivia Colman’s character in The Lost Daughter.

However, Jessie never lets disappointments hold her back. The Irish performer is still winning acclaim and awards for her talent – she just picked up an Olivier theatre award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in a London production of Cabaret – and those who’ve worked with her say she is destined for great things. In fact, her Cabaret co-star, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, has revealed that he only agreed to play the Master of Ceremonies in the musical if Jessie was in it too.

“Every night, getting to introduce her singing Cabaret and then getting to peek through the curtain and watch her roar that track was the stuff that dreams are made of,” Eddie said when he collected his own Olivier award last month. To Jessie he said, “You are one of the greats.”