HAMNET STAR JESSIE Buckley attended the 98th Oscars nominee lunch in Beverly Hills yesterday with more than 200 other Academy Award contenders.

The annual lunch was cancelled last year amid devastating Los Angeles wildfires which razed whole communities around the city.

Killarney native Buckley received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress last month for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, based on the book written by Irish author Maggie O’Farrell and which Buckley starred in alongside Kildare’s Paul Mescal.

This is Buckley’s second Oscar nomination, following her 2021 nod for The Lost Daughter. If she wins Best Actress, she will become the first Irish woman to receive the honour.

Buckley was seen embracing fellow Best Actress contender Rose Byrne at the glamorous pre-show gathering. The Australian actress is nominated for her role in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

‘Best Actress’ nominees Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne at the 98th Oscars Nominee Luncheon pic.twitter.com/hXJFxSYieR

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Best actor nominees Timothée Chalamet, Michael B Jordan and Ethan Hawke also attended the luncheon.

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro chatted with his table mates as Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of “The Secret Agent,” embraced Stellan Skarsgard and Oliver Laxe – the latter of whom has his film “Sirat” up for best international feature film.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Lynette Howell Taylor praised the diversity of this year’s nominees.

“Ballots were cast from 88 countries and regions,” the British producer said, adding that “the mission of the Academy is to amplify your art, movies and your voices.”

“This is a recognition of Brazilian cinema, and of the cinema of our region,” Moura said.

Nearby, “The Secret Agent” director Kleber Mendonca Filho joked he was feeling animated – “like a generator”.

Skarsgard said that the impact of international films is growing, as evidenced by his historic nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Norwegian film “Sentimental Value.”

Benicio del Toro has received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in One Battle After Another. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Foreign films and their stars typically notch nominations in the international categories, but Skarsgard is competing against nominees from US blockbusters, including Benicio del Toro in “One Battle After Another” and Delroy Lindo in “Sinners.”

Benicio del Toro meanwhile said he was doubly thrilled after watching fellow Puerto Rican Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl half-time show over the weekend.

“I got goosebumps,” he said, adding: “It was beautiful.”

The luncheon’s other legendary del Toro, director Guillermo, meanwhile said he was “calm”.

While his “Frankenstein” is nominated for Best Picture, del Toro himself is off the hook for Best Director, which he said took the pressure off him and meant he could focus on promoting his team.

“I’m happy because nine nominations don’t happen every day,” he said.

Lanky heartthrob Jacob Elordi, up for best supporting actor, offered a similarly toned down vibe at an impromptu photo shoot.

“I’m chilling,” he said. “It’s all good.”

With additional reporting from AFP