Complete cast breakdown of Hamnet: Who plays whom & where you’ve seen them before

Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel Hamnet has officially made the leap from page to screen, and the upcoming film adaptation, directed by Chloe Zhao, is already shaping up to be one of 2025’s most emotionally charged releases. The synopsis for the film, as per Focus Features’ official website, reads:

“From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.”

If you’re wondering who’s playing whom, and where you’ve seen them before, the article provides a complete guide to the cast for Hamnet below.

Cast details for Hamnet explored

• Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare: Buckley anchors the film as Agnes, the fiercely intuitive herbalist whose bond with her son Hamnet shapes the story’s emotional core. The Oscar-nominated star has appeared in projects such as Women Talking, The Lost Daughter, Wild Rose, and HBO’s Chernobyl. Buckley’s ability to play characters caught between resilience and heartbreak makes her casting one of the adaptation’s biggest draws.
• Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare:  Portraying the legendary playwright William Shakespeare, Paul Mescal showcases a man whose ambition and artistic drive are shaped, and tested, by personal loss in this fictional adaptation. His pairing with Buckley marks one of the film’s most anticipated dynamics. Mescal has quickly become a leading figure in modern drama, earning an Academy Award nomination for Aftersun and acclaim for roles in Normal People, All of Us Strangers, and Gladiator II. .
• Emily Watson as Mary Shakespeare: Two-time Oscar nominee Emily Watson plays Mary, William’s mother, sharp, pragmatic, and complicated in ways only Watson can deliver. She brings gravitas to the Shakespeare household, and her scenes opposite Mescal are expected to be some of the film’s strongest. Watson has appeared in films such as Red Dragon, Theory of Everything, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Small Things Like These.
• Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew Hathaway: Alwyn portrays Agnes’s brother, a steady presence who bridges the Hathaway and Shakespeare families. The Favourite and Conversations with Friends star has quietly built a compelling résumé of complex, understated characters, exactly the energy Bartholomew requires.
• Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet Shakespeare: Stepping into the titular role is Jacobi Jupe, delivering what early insiders are calling an “astonishingly tender” performance. Though newer to the screen, he carries the same natural, lived-in quality audiences recognize from his brother, Noah Jupe. Hamnet’s storyline is the beating heart of the film, and Jacobi reportedly meets the emotional demands with surprising power.
• David Wilmot as John Shakespeare: Irish actor David Wilmot brings grit and nuance to John, William’s father. Known for Peaky Blinders, The Guard, Ripper Street, and Anna Karenina, Wilmot excels at characters who straddle affection and sternness, a balance crucial to portraying a man responsible for the family’s stature and its lasting fractures.
• Olivia Lynes as Judith Shakespeare: Young talent Olivia Lynes plays Judith, Hamnet’s twin sister. Lynes has made a name for herself with standout stage performances, and here she brings the softness and intuition Judith is known for in the novel, while anchoring some of the film’s most poignant family moments. 

The supporting cast for Hamnet includes Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Susanna, Freya Hannan-Mills as Eliza Shakespeare, Eli Simons as Ophelia, Louisa Harland as Roawn, while Dainton Anderson as Edmund, Elliot Baxter as Richard, and Noah Jupe as Hamlet. Jack Shalloo, Sam Woolf, and Hera Gibson are a few of the other notable cast members featured in the film.

Hamnet is set for a nation-wide theatrical release on December 6, 2025, in the United States.