Who is Mayki Medison, the star of the film "Anora" and an Oscar winner?

Mikey Madison became a star in a short time from the beginning of her acting career, even surpassing Demi Moore in the Oscar race. Below, we present some information about the actress.

Madison was born on March 25, 1999. She is from Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Her parents are psychologists. Madison is one of five children in the family, with twin brothers, another brother, and two sisters.

In an interview with The Cut in September 2024, she mentions that after finishing 7th grade, she switched to homeschooling. This allowed Madison to dedicate more time to her favorite activity—horse riding. In August, she tells Esquire that both her mother and grandmother rode horses, which is why she rode before "learning to walk."

“I switched to homeschooling to have the opportunity to be in the stable all day,” she says. “I loved going to the stable and the process of caring for the horses, but it’s a sport that leads to a unique isolation. I felt I needed to choose a different path.”

Everything started after her mother enrolled her in acting classes. Her mother supported Mikey, took her to auditions, and helped her learn the roles.

“They are my favorite partners on stage. Mom, I love you so much,” says Mikey.

In which films has the actress acted?

Madison started acting in films at the age of 14. After a period of playing roles in short films, she made her feature film debut in 2017 with "Liza, Liza, Grey Sky." In 2016, our heroine played the role of Pamela Adlon's teenage daughter in the series "Everything is Good" until the series ended in 2022.

In January, she described this drama in an interview with The Cut as “an entry into the art of acting and a real film school.”

Her filmography includes playing the role of Susan “Seydi” Atkins, a member of the Manson family, in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," and acting in the mini-series "The Woman in the Lake," which aired in 2024.

In 2022, the star played Ember Freeman in the "Scream" franchise.

How did she end up in “Anora”?

Screenwriter and director Sean Baker saw Madison in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and contacted the actress right in the theater. While writing the script for "Anora," he envisioned Madison playing the lead role.

Baker cast her in the role without auditions. By the way, Mikey accepted the role without reading the script.

“I agreed before reading the script,” she told The Cut. “I wanted to be part of any project by Sean Baker.”

For this role, Madison learns to speak Russian. The film "Anora" tells the story of a girl from Brooklyn. She gets the chance to leave the nightclub where she works—she meets the son of a Russian oligarch and marries him. However, when this news reaches Russia, her fairy-tale life is ruined, and her husband's parents try to annul the marriage.

Interesting facts about the actress

Mikey has a puppy named Jem and a cat named Biscuit. Mikey spends a lot of time with them. Additionally, the actress loves to bake sweets in her free time.

According to Madison, she is a calm and humble person in life—completely unlike her vibrant character Anora.

“I was very shy. I would hesitate to talk to someone. I had to mentally prepare myself before raising my hand in class at school,” Mikey admits.