Mikey Madison Refuses To Log On

No one can accuse Mikey Madison of not doing her research. To play the titular role in Sean Baker’s Anora, about an enterprising young dancer who thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she weds a Russian oligarch’s son, the actor immersed herself in the world of sex work. She hung out in strip clubs and — with the help of her dad — installed a pole in her home for practice. She also read memoirs, spoke to women in the industry, and even pulled together Pinterest boards of costume inspiration.

Her dedication paid off: Not only is Madison arresting onscreen, but Anora’s real-life counterparts seem to approve as well. In a viral clip from a special screening for sex workers, audience members can be seen clapping their pleasers in appreciation. “It was so joyful and adorable and fun,” Madison tells Bustle of that moment. “And to witness that in person — the videos were amazing, but just to actually be there, I have to say was very special.”

No doubt that will remain a highlight, but Anora’s momentum only seems to be growing. After winning the top prize at Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or, the film debuted in October to great success, earning 2024’s highest per-screen average at the theaters. Now, Oscars watchers are speculating Madison may have a shot at winning Best Actress.

It’s all a lot for a 25-year-old actor who — despite steadily accumulating credits in films like Scream and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood — is still relatively unknown. “I am just taking every day at a time,” she says of the upcoming awards season. “Right now, I’m really focused on trying to get people to the movie theaters to see Anora because I think it’s a film that deserves to be seen collectively. It is a shared experience on a big screen.”

Below, Madison discusses Anora’s ambiguous ending, how the character has stayed with her, and why she refuses to join social media.

The ending is really striking. How do you read that final scene?

It’s left quite open-ended, which was very definitely a specific decision on our end. And I like that it was left open-ended, because someone said to me, “It’s like a Rorschach test. Whatever someone interprets from it is often a reflection of what they’re going through, who they are as a person.” And so it’s interesting to hear other people’s perception of the ending.

It’s obviously such an emotional scene, and she’s someone who’s very guarded, very protective of herself, not willing to let anyone see her crack in any way, just constantly covering up [her] vulnerabilities with this tough outer shell. To let that crack open a little bit, it’s terrifying for her. It’s very painful, and she’s very emotionally naked in that scene. I was really nervous about shooting [it] because so much was building up to it, all the emotions, everything she’s been holding in. I think it was the most important scene we shot.

You’ve talked about how it was vulnerable scene for you to film personally as well. What about that scene was so difficult to tackle?

The emotions that Ani goes through throughout the film were very specific to me, and I wanted you to see how vulnerable she is on the inside at all times, even if you just see it through her eyes or in a private moment. She goes through so much in such a short period of time, but she’s not a victim. She’s always going to protect herself and fight, fight to the very end.

I found myself very defensive and guarded [during production]. People would say to me, “You’re very hard to read,” and no one’s ever said that to me before. It was frustrating because I was like, “What’s happening? Why am I feeling like this?” I realized it was because I was so immersed in Ani’s emotions, in her world, that I was feeling many of the things she was feeling, [so] when you see her release a little bit of what she’s been holding onto, for me, it was a release as well.

Now that you’ve gotten this chance to show what you can do and you look to this next stage of your career, are there peers you look to for inspiration, whose careers you’d like to emulate?

There are so many actresses I’ve looked up to for a long time. I haven’t had a chance to meet all of them, but I hope to at some point. I love Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore. Those are actresses who have had incredible careers and played such interesting unique characters.

You’re not really on social media. Have you been told you should be on social media?

Of course! But I’m very stubborn, and so I will never.

Why are you stubborn about that?

It’s just not something that feels authentic or natural to me, and I don’t think I would have anything very impactful to add to social media.

Do you think it changes how you see the world, not being extremely online?

I’m a very sensitive person, so I think it’s also protective to not be online. I don’t think you’re supposed to be reading the things people are saying about you. I think that that’s not natural, and it’s not human to be looking at all of these very curated images.

I have lots of thoughts about it, but I don’t think I’ve ever put it into words before. But I know myself, and I think keeping myself ignorant to that part of the Internet is probably healthier for me.

OK, a last, random question: I saw you chose The Princess Diaries as one of your favorite movies. What is it about that movie that stuck with you?

When someone asks you what your favorite movies are, I never know how to answer that. But on that specific day, The Princess Diaries was one of my favorite films. It’s a nostalgic movie for me, and it’s one that has so much heart, and it’s so joyful and the performances are so sweet. It evokes a certain emotion that I had when I watched it as a child. I need to go back and revisit it. If they make a third, though, I would love to be in The Princess Diaries.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.