Maggie O’Farrell Describes Oscar Nomination for Hamnet Screenplay as Surreal

Maggie O’Farrell, the Northern Ireland-born author of the novel Hamnet, has expressed her astonishment at receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film adaptation, co-written with director Chloé Zhao. She described the recognition as ‘very surreal’ and something that ‘never even crossed my mind,’ emphasizing that the book feels like her ‘baby’ while the film represents a true collaborative effort. The movie Hamnet, a fictional exploration of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes dealing with the death of their son Hamnet—which may have inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet—garnered eight Oscar nominations overall. These include Best Picture, Best Director for Zhao, Best Actress for Jessie Buckley as Agnes, and others. O’Farrell, originally from Coleraine, highlighted her delight for Buckley, calling her performance ‘mesmerising’ and noting that the actress ‘poured her heart and soul’ into the role. Buckley, a County Kerry native, earned her second Oscar nod after a prior nomination and a recent Golden Globe win. O’Farrell joked about her plus-one for the ceremony being contested among her family and mentioned playful red carpet outfit ideas, like a Björk-inspired swan dress. Despite high expectations, co-star Paul Mescal was notably snubbed in his category, though O’Farrell had envisioned him as Shakespeare. The article also notes the film’s strong Irish cast and talent pool. In the broader 2026 Oscars context, vampire horror Sinners led with a record 16 nominations, followed by One Battle After Another with 13, while Hamnet’s eight nods mark a solid showing for the literary adaptation.