Rihanna played a major role on the set of Hamnet—despite not being in the film.
Joe Alwyn revealed at the 2026 Oscars on March 15th that he and his fellow actors connected over Rihanna’s 2011 song “We Found Love” while filming the movie directed by Chloé Zhao.
The 35-year-old recalled to Entertainment Tonight that it was likely the last day of filming. She said Chloé put on some Rihanna music, and the whole team celebrated by jumping around and having a good time.
Fans were delighted by a TikTok video earlier this year showing the film’s cast – including Joe, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and Noah Jupe – dancing in their Shakespearean outfits. Joe, who played Bartholomew, cherishes that memory and has also been amazed by all the positive attention the film has gotten during awards season.
This year, Hamnet has received over 15 awards, including the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress, won by Jessie.
He explained that it’s always uncertain how an audience will react to a film. He felt fortunate to work with talented people on a great project, and his biggest hope was that everyone involved had fun making it. Seeing the positive response and people enjoying the movie is incredibly rewarding.
Joe isn’t the only one who remembers how powerful “We Found Love” was during filming. Jessie, who plays Agnes (the character inspired by Anne in Maggie O’Farrell’s book Hamnet), recalled how Rihanna’s singing transformed the set into something like a dance party.
“The entire set began to shake,” the 36-year-old explained to TopMob News last November. “The background actors and everyone else—it was incredible.”
Chloé, age 43, shared a similar thought with TopMob News that month, explaining that the track, produced by Calvin Harris, strongly relates to the film’s serious storyline.
She shared that one of her favorite lyrics is, ‘We found love in a hopeless place,’ and explained how it captures a core part of the human experience. She believes that love often emerges during times of profound loss, sadness, and when we feel most hopeless – both for others and within ourselves.
The director explained that experiencing ten days of portraying intense sorrow at The Globe Theatre made the cast’s eventual joy and affection for one another even more meaningful. It highlighted why dealing with grief and loss is a fundamental part of being human – it allows us to reach a place of happiness and connection.
Keep reading to see more impactful films who won big at the Oscars 2026…
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
WINNER: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
WINNER: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
WINNER: Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku- Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Benecio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
WINNER: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Blue Moon
It Was Just An Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
WINNER: Sinners
Avatar: Fire and Ash
WINNER: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless
WINNER: “Golden” from KPop Deamon Hunters
“I Lied to You” from Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdii
“Train Dreams” from Train Dreams
The Secret Agent
It Was Just an Accident
WINNER: Sentimental Value
Sirat
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
WINNER (Tie): The Singers
WINNER (Tie): Two People Exchanging Saliva
WINNER: All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
WINNER: Sinners
WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
WINNER: Sinners
Train Dreams
F1
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
WINNER: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
WINNER: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners
Butterfly
Forevergreen
WINNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
WINNER: Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Arco
Elio
WINNER: Kpop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
WINNER: F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
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2026-03-16 22:17