JESSIE BUCKLEY WILL EARN £140 A DAY IN AFTERBIRTH

Jessie Buckley will receive £140 a day to star in Afterbirth at London’s Royal Court Theatre, according to its artistic director, David Byrne. Byrne said the theatre’s standard company rate would give Buckley £971 a week for eight performances. The production is scheduled to open in January 2028. Nina Segal wrote the play, and Maria Aberg will direct it. Buckley won the best actress Oscar for Hamnet earlier this year.

Afterbirth explores birth and parenthood. Byrne said he thought of Buckley when he read the script and that she “really responded” to it. Industry estimates cited for what Buckley could command for a film role range from £4.5m to £5m. Her last London stage appearance came in 2022, when she played Sally Bowles opposite Eddie Redmayne in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of Cabaret. Buckley and Redmayne both won Olivier awards for their performances.

The Royal Court has applied the same company rate to other actors appearing in its 400-seat main space. Tilda Swinton appeared there in Man to Man, while Gary Oldman performed in Krapp’s Last Tape and John Lithgow played Roald Dahl in Giant. Byrne has served as the theatre’s artistic director since 2024. Describing Afterbirth, he said it balanced “a very human story” with “a quite experimental, interesting theatrical form”.