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[title]To count Mikey Madison’s movie roles would not even require all the fingers of both hands, but what the 25-year-old’s CV lacks in length, it more than makes up for in depth. Over the past five years or so she’s been making the kind of career advancement people dream of but few achieve. In just four roles she’s grown from unknown to potential Oscar-nominee.
The run began with a supporting role in Pamela Adlon’s cult, critically loved sitcom Better Things, which concluded its sixth and final series in 2022. When not filming that, Madison began dipping her toe into the world of film. Or perhaps ‘dipping’ is the wrong word, given the immediate splash she made. In Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, she had a brief but incredibly memorable scene as a disciple of Charles Manson who’s mauled by a dog, shot and burned to death in one of cinema’s all-time most horrible deaths. Then in 2022’s franchise reboot Scream, she inflicted some deaths of her own, playing co-Ghostface Amber.
But those were just samples of her capabilities. Anora, her first major lead, is the announcement of an astonishing talent. Directed by Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project), Anora stars Madison as ‘Ani’, an exotic dancer in a club that would like to think of itself as high-end. When time spent (on the clock) with the son of a Russian billionaire leads to a shock proposal, Ani thinks her life is becoming a fairytale. Instead, it becomes a mixture of thriller, comedy, chase movie and heartbreaking drama, all of which Madison glides through with apparent ease. The film won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and has thrust Madison into next year’s Oscar conversation. We sat down with her at the London Film Festival to talk big breaks, Tarantino, and song lyrics we’re not allowed to print here.
Is it right that Sean Baker offered to write this film for you after seeing you in Scream? What’s the full story there? Scream is great and you’re great in it, but there’s not a clear line from serial killer to social-climbing sex-worker…
I know, I agree. I think it’s kind of testament to Sean’s specific creative vision, to be able to see what I did in Scream and think I could ever play a character like Anora. I think he’d also seen my work in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, so I think it was a combination of the two roles that made him see something in me – at least, that’s what he said to me! Maybe it was just his intuition that brought us together. But I’m grateful for it. He trusted me in a way that was surprising to me. I’ve never had a director want to collaborate with me on that level.
I’ve never had a director want to collaborate with me on this level before
I understand a lot of it was improvised. What were you actually presented with in terms of a script?
The first version I saw was a bit more like a treatment. It wasn’t even written in script form. Then later it was more written, but basically it was written in a way I’d never experienced. There’s a beginning, middle and end, but then there would be paragraphs that would be describing a scene. It might say: ‘Annie shows off her dance flexibility’. And I’m like, ‘Okay, what is that?’
So you probably need to show up with some dance flexibility…
I remember I read that and I was like, ‘Oh no’, because I am not a dancer.
You give a good impression of being one!
Thank you. That’s because I’m very stubborn. I saw it and I was like, ‘I need to throw myself into the preparation, because I want to accurately portray a dancer in a realistic way that looks impressive. It also needs to look effortless in a way that wasn’t natural to me. So I dedicated, like, months to training… The night before shooting that scene, I chose a song – a very obnoxious one, in a very empowering way – and it’s the one that’s in the movie.
Which song is that and why did you choose it?
It’s a Brooke Candy song. Wait, I want to play it for you… (she begins scrolling through her phone). It was on one of my playlists when I was doing pole training. There’s a Real Housewife who has a vocal cameo on it. (Holding up her phone in triumph) Okay, it’s called ‘Drip’ and there’s a line that goes: ‘Pussy lunch, strip club buffet’. I mean, come on. Are you kidding me? That’s amazing. It’s all there.
How was to immerse yourself in the stripper world for this?
I felt I was definitely able to be more a fly on the wall because the dancers weren’t really paying me any attention. When a woman goes into a stripclub they’re not usually the ones who want dances, which is the way they make money… I was able to get into the mind of maybe what that feels like [for the dancers]. The first time I got a dance she was just, like, very disinterested, looking around for her next guy. But then I was very generous with my tips, because, well, y’know. I think that surprised her and then she was like, ‘Oh, okay, thank you’. But she’d been looking around and chewing gum while twerking at the same time. I thought, ‘I can definitely incorporate this into the character’.
You’ve had this path over the past few years – from Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood to Scream to this – where each role has made a bigger and bigger impression. How has it felt, that growing sense of attention?
It’s been really fun for me, but there have also been years where I haven’t worked, so every job I’ve had has felt like a blessing, honestly. And I’ve been able to play some really interesting characters. I feel like Quentin [Tarantino] gave me an opportunity to play and be more of a character actress, which I hadn’t done before. I was 19 and it was my first big movie role. I think that meant other directors were able to see me in a different role.
And as a first role it’s a doozy. You have that very gory death scene. Not just that, but you’re acting opposite Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. How did you get your head round that at 19?
It was surreal. I mean, Quentin’s a hero of mine. His work is a huge part of me wanting to become an actor. I was originally supposed to play a different character – which is a story for another day – but I remember walking into the table read and I was the first one there. Then in walks Margot Robbie, then Brad Pitt, then Leonardo DiCaprio. It was so surreal and jarring. I was so nervous…It was crazy. I was like, ‘What am I doing here? How am I at this table?’
I was at a table read with Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was surreal
Both your parents are psychologists. What help does that give someone navigating the world of acting?
I think I’ve realised I have maybe more of a deeper understanding of character, and psychologically why people do certain things. But I remember people would ask me growing up, ‘Do your parents psychoanalyse you?’ I’m like, ‘Probably! I just don’t know they’re doing it’. But my parents are both very deep, sensitive people, so I think that helps me be more in tune with my emotions.
The film isn’t out anywhere yet, but it made a huge impact at Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or. That puts a massive spotlight on you. Have you felt anything change since Cannes?
It’s funny, because like you say, the movie isn’t out yet, but something that’s really important to me is that now I feel able to choose. I can look for the role coming from my heart. I’ve learned how emotional a job this is… I’m really excited about what hopefully comes next. I have a lot of dreams of things I would like to do. I’d be really grateful for the opportunity to keep working with interesting people, if they’ll have me.
These people are going to think I’m a weird stalker
You’ve said before that you make lists of people you want to work with. Who are the most recent additions to that list?
I’m almost embarrassed to say, because these people are going to think I’m a weird stalker and that I’m obsessed with them. There are so many. Caleb Landry Jones is an amazing actor. I love Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. I mention them all the time. I loved that film La Chimera, by Alice Rohrwacher. I probably totally messed up the pronunciation.
This is print, so it will appear that you pronounced it perfectly.
Oh okay, that’s good. She’s a director whose work I’ll admire forever, whether or not I work with her. And I love Luca Guadagnino. And I love Sean. If I could just do a Sean Baker movie every year then I think I’d be pretty content.
Anora is in US theaters Oct 18, and UK cinemas Nov 1. Read Time Out’s review here.