Oscar winner Jessie Buckley to earn £140 daily for London theatre role

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 11:28 · Archive

Oscar-winning actress Jessie Buckley will be paid £140 per day for a 2028 Royal Court Theatre production, the standard rate for all actors at the venue.

Jessie Buckley, the Irish actress who won the Oscar for Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards alongside the Golden Globe and BAFTA, will return to the London stage in 2028. She will star in Afterbirth, a brand new play by Nina Segal described as an exploration of life after giving birth, directed by Maria Aberg. The production will run at the Royal Court Theatre from January 15 to February 26, 2028.

Despite reportedly commanding up to £5 million for film roles, Buckley will receive the theatre's standard 'company rate' of £140 per day, or £971 per week for eight performances. Royal Court artistic director David Byrne told The Times that this rate is based on West End union agreements and applies equally to all actors at the theatre, regardless of their Hollywood status.

Buckley is not the first major film star to accept the Royal Court's standard pay. Tilda Swinton recently performed in Manfred Karge's Man to Man in the theatre's 400-seat space on the same terms, as have Gary Oldman and John Lithgow in recent years. Byrne said he could tell that Buckley had an interest in returning to theatre and that the Royal Court would 'excite her'.

How it is being reported

• Oscar-winning actress being paid just £140 a day for new West End roleJessie Buckley will return to the theatre stage in 2028 (Picture: Getty Images) It was just eight months ago that she won the best actress Oscar , but this star will be grounding herself on the West End stage with a very humble wage. Hamnet actress Jessie Buckley will make her debut at London’s…Metro · 30 Oct, 11:06
• Jessie Buckley to take pay cut as Oscar winner's salary for London theatre return revealedThe Hamnet star is returning to the London stage in 2028 for a brand new productionEvening Standard · 29 Oct, 17:34

In this story: Jessie Buckley · Nina Segal · Maria Aberg · Royal Court Theatre · David Byrne · Tilda Swinton · Gary Oldman · John Lithgow

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