The Critics Choice Awards 2026 kicked off awards season last night, with the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica positively packed with the biggest names in film and TV. While the red carpet was a hit online (ahem, looking at you, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs), the brilliant acceptance speeches have already set the tone for what we can expect during the 2026 run of awards ceremonies.
Picking up the Best Actor award for his role in Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet made an unexpected declaration of love to Kylie Jenner, while All Her Fault star Sarah Snook admitted she wasn’t expecting to win, and charmed the audience with her improvised thank yous. But it was Hamnet star Jessie Buckley who really made waves with her poetic adoration of co-star, Paul Mescal. Upon receiving the award for Best Actress, Jessie thanked those she worked with, including Hamnet‘s director Chloé Zhao. Then, she turned to Paul and stated, with a laugh, that she “could drink [him] like water”, and his adorably awkward response is going viral.
During her acceptance speech, Jessie started by thanking Chloé Zhao, sharing: “You have reminded me of the power of telling a story and the journey that you can go on to touch the deepest parts of what it is to be alive.”
Then, addressing Paul directly, she left the Gladiator II star seriously blushing by saying: “Paul, I bloody love you, man. And I know loads of other women do in this room too, but tough shit… I could drink you like water, working with you every single day. You’re a giant of the heart and thank you so much for making me a little more human.”
When the cameras cut to Paul, viewers could see that he was visibly embarrassed by the compliments. While he smiled and squirmed nervously in his seat, fans absolutely loved this moment between the actors. On a TikTok video of the interaction, one person wrote: “She’s so real for this.”
Another added: “Haha he is so damn adorable!!!”
A third wrote: “Aw he’s so shy.”
Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is based on the historical novel by Maggie O’Farrell which follows the life of William Shakespeare and his wife after the loss of their young son. Directed by Chloé Zhao and produced by Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg, the film is expected to win big during the 2026 awards season with six Golden Globes nominations.
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