Mikey Madison became an overnight Hollywood star with the success of the film “ Anora ”. Since the Universal Pictures comedy-drama premiered at film festivals in 2024, the 25-year-old actress has become an awards season favorite.
Madison is nominated for the best actress Oscar for her performance in “Anora,” which could also win five other categories at the industry’s top awards show, including best picture. The film gained momentum in the race for the statuette last weekend, winning the two biggest awards from the Directors and Producers Guild of America.
In the film, Mikey Madison plays the first leading role of her career. The actress plays the title character of the film, a young stripper who impulsively marries the son of a Russian tycoon. The character’s fairy tale is threatened when the groom’s family decides to annul the marriage.
To bring the protagonist to life, Madison immersed herself in the character. “I didn’t want to leave anything out. I wanted to know everything about the character, everything,” says the artist. “I danced for months, went to live in Brighton Beach and wanted to visit nightclubs. I wanted to know what the community was like; it was important to understand what the dancers go through.”
Sean Baker , director of “Anora,” wrote the role with the actress in mind after watching Mikey Madison’s previous work. “She made such an impact. I was excited to reach out to her after seeing her in different roles, seeing her ability to switch emotions in a split second, her sense of humor, her bold role choices and her incredible ‘panic’.”
Before winning over critics with “Anora,” Mikey Madison gained attention for minor roles in the films “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Scream 5.” Born in Los Angeles in 1999, the actress began her career in 2013, appearing in short films. Her first major role was in the FX series “Better Things” in 2016, where she worked until 2022.
What are “Anora” and Mikey Madison’s chances at the Oscars?
Initially, “Anora” was considered one of the favorites for the biggest award in cinema after winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, but the film had lost momentum after leaving the Golden Globes empty-handed in the five categories in which it was nominated.
In recent days, however, the film has regained the spotlight as one of the main bets to take home the biggest Oscar awards. Last Friday (7), it won best film at the Critics Choice Awards . On Saturday (8), it also took home the two biggest awards from the directors’ and producers’ unions in the United States, the DGA and the PGA. Among the 14 films that have won both awards since 2005, only three have not taken home the main Oscar category.
With the thermometer heating up for “Anora,” Mikey Madison is also emerging as a strong candidate for the best actress award. If she wins, she will become the youngest person to win the statuette since Jennifer Lawrence , who won the Oscar in 2013, at age 22, for “Silver Linings Playbook.”
To do so, she would need to beat out strong competitors Fernanda Torres , Demi Moore , Cynthia Erivo and Karla Sofía Gascón . “Mikey is great and does very well in ‘Anora’. More than a month ago, she was considered the winner of the Oscar. And I have no doubt that she will win, because young actresses have already risen to fame after winning the award category,” says Barbara Demerov, film critic and Golden Globe voter.
