Twelve-year-old Jacobi Jupe, who plays the title role in “ Hamnet ,” broke down in tears during the Variety interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, describing the devastation of embodying William Shakespeare’s ill-fated son, and calling the experience “life-changing.”

“It was so utterly devastating,” Jupe says, pausing as he grew emotional. “When I ended that shoot, there was one thing that I wanted to do, and it was probably to live on for Hamnet because I don’t think it was fair on him.”

As he struggled to continue, Jupe was consoled by his on-screen parents, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal , who embraced him during the emotional moment. A boy beyond his years, with the support of a fantastic cast and filmmaking crew.

For Buckley, who recently became a mother hersel

See Full Page