Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley on making sense of Shakespeare's art with 'Hamnet'

TORONTO — Paul Mescal says that to him, “Hamnet” feels so true it’s “almost like a documentary.”

On the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival, the star of the William Shakespeare biopic says there’s an emotional truth to the story, even though little is known definitively about the bard’s life.

“Hamnet” is based on the best-selling novel by Maggie O’Farrell and was adapted for screen by O’Farrell and director Chloe Zhao, at Mescal’s urging.

It tells the story of Shakespeare’s marriage to Agnes and the death of their son Hamnet, which inspires the playwright to pen “Hamlet.”

Though scholars know that Shakespeare had a son named Hamnet who died before “Hamlet” was written, there’s no historical record of how one may have influenced the other.

Even so, Mescal says the boo