The Big Picture

Welcome to a new episode of Collider Ladies Night with
Anora
star Mikey Madison.
During her Ladies Night conversation with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Madison looks back on her time as a competitive horseback rider, and revisits making
Better Things
and
Scream.

She also discusses her experience headlining Sean Baker’s Oscar hopeful opposite Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan.

If you frequent Collider Ladies Night, you’re likely well aware that I’m a massive Scream fan. The franchise heavily contributed to making me the movie lover I am today, and it’s also a big reason why I pursued a career in the industry. Given that, it’ll probably come as no surprise that I especially love seeing Scream alum soar in film and television, and one particular Scream star is having a game-changing 2024. It’s Scream 2022’s Mikey Madison, who’s currently in the midst of an awards season run courtesy of her electrifying performance in Sean Baker’s Anora.

The Palme d’Or winner stars Madison as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn who finds herself in the middle of a rather unusual and frequently madcap adventure of sorts after meeting Vanya, the son of a Russian billionaire. After hiring Ani a few times, Vanya offers her a larger sum to be exclusive for the week. During that week, the two impulsively marry in Vegas. Convinced the love is genuine, Ani is excited to begin her new life as Vanya’s wife, but when his parents find out about their marriage, they send their henchmen to annul it, an assignment that ultimately sparks a wild chase through the streets of New York.

With Anora continuing its successful run in theaters while its awards season buzz builds, Madison joined me for a special FYC edition of Collider Ladies Night to break down the pivotal career moments that teed her up for success headlining a likely Best Picture nominee.

Before Acting Mikey Madison Was a Competitive Horseback Rider
“I was sitting on a horse before I could even walk.”
Image via NEON

You only need to watch one single show or film of Madison’s to know she gives every ounce of herself to her roles. But, before she was giving acting her all, her focus was on competitive horseback riding. “I was sitting on a horse before I could even walk.” She continued, “My grandmother was a horseback rider and my mom was a horseback rider, and so I think my mom was very hopeful that I would fall in love with it.”

Madison did indeed fall in love with it, so much so that she opted to pursue it competitively of a period of time.

“I think it’s the connection between two beings, not to get too deep.
You’re literally on top of a huge creature, and you’re sort of controlling that creature to go through an obstacle course and do it in a beautiful way
, and so there has to be some trust between you and this animal, and you build that trust over time. So, to me, I think that there was a lot of satisfaction in creating that trust and then getting to a place together where you could do things in a very seamless way. There’s also a lot of math involved in horseback riding, a certain amount of steps to reach between jumps, and so that was always really satisfying to hit the strides perfectly and do it in an [elegant] way. To me, it was about perfection in a sense, which obviously there’s no such thing, but in some ways, there is, or you can get really close.”

While Madison did find great satisfaction in that connection with a horse while riding competitively, she began to notice there was another type of connection she craved. A human one. She explained:

“I think I had gotten to a point where I pushed myself so far with horseback riding that it wasn’t enjoyable anymore.
There was something lacking in my life. I wanted a deeper connection in some way between humans.
I’ve always had that with animals, but I wanted that with other people. I don’t think I actually was able to articulate this at that time, but internally, I was craving some kind of deeper connection, intimacy, with other people, and I saw acting as a way to possibly be able to have that, or to experience lots of different things on top of this safety net. It was a really difficult decision because my entire life was wrapped around horseback riding and competing. I was also on a dressage team as well, and so to quit that, too, I was a piece of this puzzle in this team, that was difficult. But I knew that it needed to be one or the other. I couldn’t do both.”

‘Scream’ Came at Just the Right Time for Mikey Madison
“I really needed the job, but I also needed an adventure of some kind.”

From there, Madison’s primary focus was acting. However, whereas she had her mother and grandmother to lead the way in the horseback riding realm, she didn’t have anyone in her corner who knew the ins and outs of Hollywood.

“I wish I did. It maybe would have saved me a couple of years just trying to kick my foot in the door.
It was a lot of trial and error
, really. My mom, I think, found some random acting class in the valley that I was able to take, and from that, I found some super tiny boutique agency that took me on, and from there, things evolved. I got an audition for
Better Things
, and then things just sort of went on from there. But
I worked
really
hard to get to the place I’m at
, but it was very challenging when you don’t know anybody in the industry.”

The hard work paid off for Madison, big time. By securing the role of Max in the FX series Better Things, not only did she get her foot in the door, but she also scored the opportunity to learn. Here’s how she put it:

“It was my first big role. When I started the show, I knew nothing about acting, what it was like to be in front of a camera, any of the aspects of what it’s like to create a TV show, and so I learned every single thing.
That sort of helped to create a base for who I am now as a performer
, and I’m so grateful for that time because it was definitely, at times, a very nurturing environment for someone to learn in. I was able to evolve my growth over the course of seven years, five seasons. That’s a long time to be playing the same character, and I was able to continue to learn more about this character I was playing, which I think was a really interesting exercise with me specifically.”

Related Before ‘Anora,’ Mikey Madison Was a Scene Stealer in One of FX’s Best Comedies FX’s family comedy ‘Better Things’ gave Mikey Madison the chance to shine.

One of Madison’s next big opportunities came via my favorite film franchise of all time, Scream. Not only did Madison land a main role in Radio Silence’s Scream 2022, but she earned one of the most iconic acting opportunities in the genre — the chance to play a Ghostface killer.

“I had auditioned. I sent in a tape, and then I heard nothing for, like, eight months or something, and I’d pretty much forgotten about it. Then they came back, and they were like, ‘Hey, would you want to be in this film? The character would be the
Scream
Ghostface character.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds really fun. I would absolutely like to do that, and I specifically would love to play this Ghostface character,’ because
it’s such an interesting, fun reveal, and it’s such a crazy, unpredictable arc for a character
as well. I think that those films are so self-aware in a way where all the actors know exactly what kind of movie they’re in, and you’re able to have fun with it.”

The weight of playing Ghostface wasn’t lost on Madison, but she also made a point to emphasize how important booking the role of Amber was for her at the time.

“That movie also just came at such an important time in my life where, one,
I really needed the job, but I also needed an adventure of some kind
. In the middle of the pandemic, they were like, ‘Here’s this role where you get to go to this beautiful beach town with a bunch of people your age and make a fun movie, and you get to play this iconic killer character.’ I was like, ‘Hell yeah! That sounds amazing.’ It was
so
much fun.”

Making ‘Anora’ with Sean Baker Helped Mikey Madison Stand Up for Herself
“I’m the one who’s going to be playing her. I want to feel at home in these clothes and like they’re her clothing.”

While Madison has accomplished quite a bit between Scream, Better Things, and then some, Anora is proving to be a game-changing turn. Not only is the movie being showered in rave reviews and accolades, but Madison herself has been the recipient of sky-high praise. So much, in fact, that she’s currently a likely Best Actress nominee — perhaps even a category frontrunner for some.

Should that all pan out, and I suspect it will, Madison will be in a prime position to soar in this business. Even better? She’ll be forging forward in her career with an even stronger voice on set, and that’s something she attributes to Anora. She began:

“It’s just been so much trial and error, or not having the confidence to share your opinions because I thought maybe it was going to be shot down or it wasn’t going to be listened to.
There’s some of my career where I felt like a puppet in some ways or like a vessel, but I wasn’t being used correctly.
I was just sort of projecting one specific person’s vision, and my stamp wasn’t on it at all, or my heart wasn’t in it because I didn’t feel like it was coming from a place that I was passionate about.”

That changed when Madison got the chance to work side-by-side with Anora director, Sean Baker. She continued:

“Once I worked with Sean, I learned so many lessons about that and how to stand up for myself and that my opinions on the character are important. I got to a place where I was walking onto Sean’s set, and I was able to collaborate with him to create this film and collaborate on so many other aspects of creating this character. Before, in clothing fittings, I would just go along with anything, but for this film, I was like, ‘I want Ani to look a specific way.

I’m
the one who’s going to be playing her. I want to feel at home in these clothes and like they’re
her
clothing.
’ This is just one example, but I made this Pinterest board for Sean, and I was like, ‘I love these outfit options. What do you think about this vibe?’ And it was an extensive Pinterest, and he was like, ‘I
love
it. Let’s send it to costumes.’ I think he just really amplified my voice. He supported it and uplifted it, because he wanted to collaborate with me.
We were constantly sharing ideas with each other, and I think that’s why we were able to make the film that we made
, is because we had that trust, and also I had grown that confidence as a creative to share my ideas.”

Mikey Madison Explains Why Team ‘Anora’ Opted Out of Using an Intimacy Coordinator
“My character is a sex worker, and so I knew from the beginning that nudity would be a part of it.”
Image via Neon

One of many aspects of Anora that demanded Madison’s voice was the more intimate material featured in the film.

“I had never done anything like that before and so, for me, I wasn’t sure what that would be like, what it would feel like. But
my character is a sex worker, and so I knew from the beginning that nudity would be a part of it
. I’ve seen Sean’s films, I know that he’s dedicated to authenticity, and that was something I was really interested in portraying as well. And so I just assumed that nudity and sex would be a part of her work because that’s what sex work is and that’s what it entails, and that’s the costume that she puts on to work and make a living for herself. So, for me, I was just at a place where I felt comfortable to be outspoken if I ever needed to be.”

While Madison had no problem speaking up if needed, she made a point to note that it was never really necessary in this respect. Sean Baker and his wife, Samantha Quan, who also produced Anora, prioritized creating a comfortable and safe environment right from the start. “We were able to shoot those scenes in a very seamless way.” She added, “Their priority is safety, and me as well, and so we all understood that from the beginning and were protective of each other.”

More often than not nowadays, productions that involve “nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes” employ intimacy coordinators. As described in SAG-AFTRA’s official standards and protocols for the use of intimacy coordinators, they’re there to liaise between performers and other individuals on set to ensure safety protocols are met, and also to function as a resource to help the director bring their vision to screen.

While one might assume that position is a must-have for a film like Anora, Baker and co. actually opted out of using one. Madison explained why:

“
We were offered intimacy coordinators and we all just felt that it would be more seamless to just do it with Sean and Sammy.
I think it’s a case-by-case basis of whatever your comfort levels are and what makes you feel most comfortable. Sean and Sammy and I had become good friends for, like, a year by the time we started shooting. I’m really, really happy with the way that we did it. It was just a positive experience because I know that doesn’t always happen for people.”

Mikey Madison Wanted to “Give Up” While Trying to Tackle That Final Scene
Something very “personal” and “embarrassing” wound up being the key to unlocking the scene.
Image via NEON

Yet another positive experience for Madison on the set of Anora? Nailing the final scene of the movie — a scene that will likely go down as one of the most memorable of the entire year. However, initially, Madison felt the weight of that moment in the film, and it sparked some serious nerves about tackling it.

“There was so much anticipation building up to this scene. I was so nervous about it. I put so much pressure on myself. I had this idea of how the scene would go in my head, which you never can go into a scene with that specific idea for a place I wanted to get to.
I didn’t want to do a bad job. I didn’t want to let anyone down
, which, I know that there’s no such thing as doing a bad job — either you’re honest and you’re in the moment or you’re not.”

The production attempted to film that scene a number of times and, for a variety of reasons, it kept getting pushed. But each and every time, Madison did the prep work. She recalled:

“We tried to film it for multiple days and every morning I would mentally prepare myself, get to that place emotionally. I was trying not to sleep as much so that I could feel that sort of rawness that comes when you’re tired, and then it wouldn’t happen and I would be so relieved. And then we would try to shoot it the next day and eventually, we were ready to shoot it, and
I think in some weird way, I’d almost just given up
. I don’t even know why. But I felt like I was fighting for this character, she was fighting for so long, and then there’s this moment where it’s like this crescendo of emotion. She’d been holding in all of the pain, all the frustration — all that heartbreak is bubbling over the surface. How do you just release that?”

That proved to be the million dollar question for this particular moment. Madison continued:

“For me as an actress, I was feeling this huge buildup as well, and I was like, ‘How do I just let that go in a way that feels grounded to me?’ And, oh man,
I just didn’t want to let the character down
, and so I stepped outside of the car and I was like, ‘Why am I feeling like this? Why isn’t it coming?’
I’m usually such an emotional person — I cry all the time.
I could probably just look at you right now and cry. It was something that always frustrated me when I was younger, but I’ve learned to love it as an adult. But while I was playing Ani, I wasn’t crying. I had this poker face, and I remember Mark was like, ‘I can never read you. You’re so difficult to read,’ and I was like, ‘No one’s
ever
said that to me before.’ [Laughs] And I realized that I think that, for whatever reason, because of the preparation I did, I was just unconsciously in the same headspace that my character was in, and I didn’t realize that until we were done filming. But I stepped out of the car, and I was like, ‘It’s not gonna happen. We’re not gonna get it. I just need to give up on this scene.’ I was so frustrated, and I was constantly on the verge of tears, but I physically wouldn’t let them out.”

How did Madison finally crack this story beat? She turned to something deeply personal, something she opted to share with her Anora filmmaking team. She explained:

“Everyone was very patiently waiting in the car, and I was trying to think of things that I have in my back pocket to pull out, my repertoire of emotional things. Some people listen to music — I think it’s different for every actor — and I remembered this one thing that,
whenever I listen to it, it kind of tears me apart, very emotional, and so I played it
for my producer, and I was like, ‘I think this is right. I think this is something that could help me get to that place,’ because
it was simultaneously something very personal to me, very embarrassing, and it put me in a vulnerable position
. So Sean was in the backseat of the car while we were filming, and then Yura’s there, and it’s me. We all sort of, together before filming the scene, experienced this very personal, raw emotional thing that I was trying to use to get me to that emotional place, and I think that it just worked. And it also kind of grounded all of us in a way where it put us in a strange emotional place to listen to that.”

Looking for even more from Madison on her experience making Anora? Be sure to watch her full Collider Ladies Night interview in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the interview in podcast form below:

Anora follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, igniting a potential fairy tale. Upon learning of the union, his influential parents travel to New York to annul the marriage, jeopardizing her unexpected chance at a new beginning.Release Date October 18, 2024 Director Sean Baker Cast Mikey Madison , Mark Eydelshteyn , Karren Karagulian , Yuriy Borisov , Vache Tovmasyan , Ivy Wolk , Luna Sofía Miranda , Ross Brodar , Lindsey Normington , Darya Ekamasova , Emily Weider , Alena Gurevich , Masha Zhak , Paul Weissman , Charlton Lamar , Aleksey Serebryakov , Ella Rubin , Vincent Radwinsky , Michael Sergio , Brittney Rodriguez , Sophia Carnabuci , Anton Bitter , Zoë Vnak Runtime 139 Minutes Expand

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