Tuesday was a big night for Mikey Madison.
“Are you kidding? This is where I'm from. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and my whole family is here to see this movie for the first time. It's also a little nerve-wracking,” the actress revealed while standing outside from the iconic Vista Theater in the Los Feliz neighborhood. Madison, 25, has been acting for more than a decade and has made many red carpet premieres in her career, but the chance to sit down Anora for the first time she amplified her anxiety with her siblings and best friend also in the building.
Sean Baker's film, released by Neon this weekend, marks a lot of firsts for Madison. After accumulating credits on Pamela Adlon Better thingsQuentin Tarantino Once upon a time…in Hollywood and the 2022 reboot of Cry, Anora it is the first time she has directed a feature film as the protagonist, the first time she appears naked on screen and the first time she stars in a film that won a Palme d'Or, the highest honor awarded during the Cannes Film Festival. Oh, and now there's a say in the Oscars, too.
Anora stars Madison as a stripper and prostitute, better known as Annie, whose life is turned upside down when she meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Co-stars include Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov, Darya Ekamasova and Lindsey Normington. Baker directed the film from a script he wrote himself, with Madison as the protagonist from the beginning.
“He is truly one of the most incredible people I have ever collaborated with,” Madison said of Baker. “He gave me the freedom and free will to build this character from scratch and present it to him. We were so in tune with each other's sensibilities in terms of how we imagined the film, and he welcomed me as a great collaborator with him. I have never been asked to do this before nor have I had this opportunity.
Madison as Annie Anora.
Cannes Film Festival
Another first time. Working in tandem with Baker, who has made a number of critically acclaimed films The Florida Project TO mandarintaught a new lesson every day, Madison said. But there's one that stands out the most: “He really made it clear that he cared about my ideas and what I was bringing to the film. The most important thing I learned from him is that my opinion and my voice matter.”
Baker has a history of discovering new talent or rediscovering established talent in a new light, whether it's Madison Anora or Simon Rex in his latest film, Red Rocket. “It depends on that 'factor,'” Baker said The Hollywood journalist when asked to explain the special sauce. “There's something that captures you. It can be a combination of physicality or personality. You just see someone and immediately know that you want to see more of them or that they deserve to be on the big screen.
With Madison, he and his producing team of Samantha Quan and Alex Coco recall seeing her in impressive back-to-back turns in Once upon a time AND Cry. “I was so stunned,” Baker recalled. “The last 15 minutes of Once upon a time…in Hollywood she stole scenes from Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio and I thought, “We need to keep an eye on her.” Then we saw Scream opening weekend and while sitting in the theater, we decided that this would be our Anora. We called his agent the moment we left the theater.
Squad Anora: Vache Tovmasyan, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker, Karren Karagulian, Mikey Madison, Yura Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn and Alex Coco outside the Vista Theater in Los Angeles for the Beyond Fest premiere.
Todd Williamson/Courtesy of Neon
Samantha Quan, Sean Baker and Alex Coco.
Todd Williamson/Courtesy of Neon
Team Ivan: Vache Tovmasyan, Karren Karagulian, Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov.
Todd Williamson/Courtesy of Neon
Team Sean Baker: former collaborators Suzanna Son and Simon Rex.
Todd Williamson/Courtesy of Neon