Jessie Buckley and the Great Cat Debate: A Viral Moment Before the Oscars
The internet is ablaze with discussion surrounding Jessie Buckley, the acclaimed actress currently favoured to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Hamnet. A resurfaced interview from November has gone viral, sparking a surprisingly intense debate about… cats.
The Story Behind the Controversy
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Buckley candidly shared her dislike for felines. She recounted an experience with her then-boyfriend’s cats, stating, “I don’t like cats.” Her Hamnet co-star, Paul Mescal, chimed in with a blunt, “Fuck cats, honestly.” Horowitz playfully suggested they might be jeopardizing their careers – a comment that now feels eerily prophetic.
Buckley went on to describe one cat as a “pedigree-model bitch” who seemingly waged war on her. “I’d come home and there’d just be, like, poo on my pillow,” she revealed, leading to an ultimatum: “It’s me or the cats.” And, as she gleefully put it, “I wonnnn!”
From Interview to Ire: The Online Backlash
The re-emergence of this interview, just days before Oscar voting closed, has triggered a wave of reactions, ranging from lighthearted jokes to outright condemnation. While initial comments on the original YouTube video were largely positive, recent posts have used the anecdote to criticize Buckley and Mescal’s character. Comments like “Disgusting” and “They sound insufferable” are now common.
The press has also jumped on the story, with headlines like “Jessie Buckley horrified fans” (The Sun) and “Jessie Buckley made a shocking confession” (HuffPost) amplifying the controversy.
A Purr-plexing Overreaction?
But is this outrage justified? Many are questioning the intensity of the reaction. Disliking cats is hardly a scandalous opinion. As the author points out, cats can be aloof, even mischievous. A cat strategically depositing waste on a pillow could easily be interpreted as a territorial display – a feline power move, if you will.
Furthermore, the timing of this resurfacing is raising eyebrows. With Buckley a frontrunner for the Oscar and her latest film, The Bride!, facing critical scrutiny, some suspect a deliberate smear campaign. Could this be a calculated effort to derail her Oscar chances?
Preference, Not Prejudice
Ultimately, Buckley was simply expressing a personal preference based on her own experiences. It’s akin to disliking a particular food or being wary of dogs after a negative encounter. Her use of the word “hate” may have been hyperbolic, but it was likely intended for comedic effect. She wasn’t advocating for feline eradication.
The response to a simple preference shouldn’t jeopardize a career, especially one as promising as Jessie Buckley’s. It’s time to step back from the outrage and focus on her undeniable talent. As the author concludes, “Hamnet haters and Big Cat, I’m on to you.”
Source: Slate
