Mikey Madison received the Oscar for best main actress for her portrayal of a fierce and persistent sex worker in the film “Anora.”
The victory was a bit of a shock because Demi Moore, who has seen a career comeback thanks to her captivating portrayal of an elderly fitness celebrity in “The Substance,” was predicted to win her first Oscar for the part.
Sean Baker directed “Anora,” which went on to win the biggest prize of the evening: best picture. The film centers on Madison’s character, Ani, who meets the son of a Russian tycoon during her strip club stint and embarks on a whirlwind affair with him.
Both playing the part of a strip club dancer and defending the couple when the oligarch sends his goons to compel them to dissolve their marriage in Las Vegas required physical prowess.
Madison, who is 25, is one of the youngest actors to get the honor. She is the same age as Hilary Swank, who won for the 1999 movie “Boys Don’t Cry,” and Grace Kelly, who won for the 1954 movie “The Country Girl.”
Before capturing Baker’s attention as a member of the Manson family in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and the 2022 slasher movie “Scream,” Madison had her breakthrough role as a teenager in the television series “Better Things.”
Prior to starring in “Anora,” Madison stayed in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach area, where a large portion of the film is situated, in order to work on her accent and go to the clubs that are shown in the movie. She also started taking pole-dancing lessons and learning Russian, albeit her delivery did not have to be flawless for the film. Madison told The Times that despite the role’s heavy nudity and several personal sequences, she never found them intimidating: “I was always comfortable, and I also think because Ani was too.”
She received great praises for her performance. The part required Madison “to go for broke, with elements of slapstick, romance, comedy, and tragedy, along with dancing in skimpy or nonexistent clothing and throwing a couple of powerful punches,” according to Alissa Wilkinson, a film critic for The Times, who described Madison as “mesmerizing.”
Cynthia Erivo, who played Elphaba in the film-musical “Wicked,” Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly transgender actress to receive an Academy Award nomination for her performance in “Emilia Pérez,” and Fernanda Torres, who was particularly noteworthy in the drama “I’m Still Here,” which told the story of a family ripped apart by a Brazilian military dictatorship, were among the other nominees in the category.
