Buckley grew up in rural Ireland and had ambitions of performing, but her path into the industry didn’t follow a traditional route.
After finishing school, she applied to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. When the school rejected her application, she was left uncertain about what to do next. That same weekend in 2008, however, the BBC was holding open auditions for I’d Do Anything, a televised competition created to find actors for a West End revival of Oliver! led by theater figures Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh.
Buckley decided to audition on impulse, joining a long line of hopeful performers — and the gamble paid off. She advanced through the competition’s weekly challenges and eventually finished as the runner-up, losing the final vote to Jodie Prenger. Although she did not win the role, the show introduced her to a national audience and gave her a first taste of how demanding the industry could be.
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