Mikey Madison knows what it means to steal a scene. The California-born actor played a frenzied knife-wielding Manson family cult member in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, her blood-curdling screams successfully pulling all focus away from leading stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. She exercised those piercing pipes again in the 2022 Scream remake, departing once more all guns blazing (pun very much intended, for anyone who’s seen the scorching conclusions to both films).
In her latest movie Anora, a rom-com-turned-mob-drama-turned-something-else-entirely, Madison steals the whole show, leaving an impression that will stun audiences into silence. Written and directed by Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket), the film has already won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is generating a great deal of Oscar buzz.
The rising star plays the titular razor-tongued Brooklynite stripper (who goes by Ani) whose life is derailed when she impulsively marries the son of a Russian billionaire (played by zippy “Russian Timothee Chalamet” Mark Eydelshteyn). When the less-than-impressed oligarch finds out about the happy union, they assign bumbling henchmen to try and strong-arm the lovers into an annulment. “I was excited about playing a character like this, because she’s very complicated,” Madison explains softly, clutching a glass bottle of water. “I always wanted an audience to recognise her pain underneath everything.”
You’d be forgiven for thinking Madison might share some of the spiky disposition of her on-screen personas, but thankfully that’s not the case. NME meets the LA native in one of central London’s most lavish hotels on a crisp, blue-skied autumn afternoon, just a few hours before she’s due to hit the red carpet for Anora’s UK premiere at London Film Festival. Seated opposite a dainty coffee table in the middle of a private suite, she’s dressed in a cosy beige v-neck jumper, timeless blue ankle-grazer jeans and black ballet flats. Her hair is slicked back into a bun, accentuating her wide smile and kind eyes which are lifted with fluffy false lashes.
Anora is a big step up for the 25-year-old, both in performance and subject matter. The film’s anti-Pretty Woman arc is an unlikely thrill ride of nuptial chaos set in the Russian-American Brooklyn neighbourhood of Brighton Beach during the depths of winter, simultaneously serving as a thoughtful exploration of power dynamics and sex work. “She’s a very vulnerable person on the inside,” Madison explains. “There are times where she’s very hurt, very sad, but she’s constantly covering it up. She doesn’t want anyone to see her crack.”
The frosty New York underbelly where Anora takes place is the polar opposite to where Madison grew up. She was raised in the sunny San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles with her parents, both psychologists, and four siblings. Along with being a competitive horse rider in her teens, she was an outdoorsy kid and enjoyed reading. Madison first wanted to be an actor after picturing herself as the characters in books like Suzanne Collins’ YA thriller The Hunger Games, later adapted into the hit movie series starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Her teenage years were spent acting in low-budget student films, before landing a gig playing outspoken eldest daughter Max in the FX comedy-drama series Better Things. Three years later, aged 19, she featured in one of the most star-studded movies of the decade: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. “I learned so much from Quentin and from that experience,” she says. “It really reinvigorated my love for making movies and reminded me of the reason why I wanted to be an actress in the first place.” That performance, along with Scream, told Baker that Madison was a star in waiting – so much so that he wrote the Anora script specially for her. “It’s very meaningful for someone to see something in you that nobody had really seen before, or given me an opportunity to show.”
Preparations for the role were thorough – she learned Russian, took pole dancing lessons, spoke to real sex workers and even adapted her listening habits. “When I was filming the movie, I listened to much different music than I was ever used to,” she says. “My friend Luna [Sofía Miranda, who plays Lulu in the film] made me an amazing stripper playlist.” It included empowering rap and hip-hop songs by Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Slayyyter. On a normal day, though, you’re more likely to find Madison streaming The Cranberries, Mazzy Star or King Krule.
Anora also features some pretty standout soundtrack moments on screen in the shape of t.A.T.u.’s ‘All The Things She Said’ and a jaw-dropping Take That ‘Greatest Day’ needle drop that is totally unexpected and strangely beautiful. “I wasn’t familiar with their work before, but I am now,” Madison says of the iconic British boyband. “I think it’s such a catchy tune, and it works really well for the opening.”
The centrepiece of the film is a near heartstopping 28-minute home invasion sequence where the entire narrative performs an about-face. The scene is spectacularly blood-pumping, hilarious and chaotic all at once, showcasing Madison’s acting mettle and sending her star power points off the chart. “I was aware that these scenes would be very heightened, and from an audience’s perspective would be seen as possibly comical. But to Ani, it’s very serious – it’s a life or death situation. She doesn’t know what’s gonna happen to her, so she’s gonna fight tooth and nail to get out of this situation,” she says. “She’s tough and she’s scrappy, and she fights hard.”
Critics are already predicting Anora could be a frontrunner at next year’s Oscars, which means Madison has had time to perfect her humble media response to the inevitable curiosity from reporters ahead of the nominations. “I’ve had so many people ask me [about] that,” she says with a small sigh and a chuckle. “I get to go to all these incredible places and premiere our film to a bunch of cinema lovers, so that’s amazing,” she says. “If people love this story, that’s great. It makes me really happy.”
‘Anora’ hits UK cinemas on November 1