The new film Hamnet , based on Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning 2020 novel, imagines how William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in a haze of grief over the death of his son. In a sly bit of casting, director Chloé Zhao , the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Nomadland , chose brothers to play the doomed child and the actor portraying his on-stage avatar.

Jacobi and Noah Jupe grew up in the UK, raised by a producer dad and actor mom. (They also have a sister.) In the movie, they both share scenes with Paul Mescal , as the Bard, and Jessie Buckley , as his earthy wife Agnes. The Shakespeares are presented as loving parents who view the world differently—William is dedicated to his craft; Agnes to the mystical qualities of the land. After Hamnet’s death, both fall into despair, but

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