Mikey Madison admits she’s no stranger to tears—whether she’s overjoyed or upset, crying is her natural way of expressing emotion.
During our chat at a Midtown Manhattan restaurant, the star of the Palme d’Or-winning ‘Anora’ shared several stories that involved shedding tears.
As a teenager, she cried on the ride home from a horseback-riding competition after realizing she had to choose between pursuing a career as an equestrian or as an actor, unable to balance both.
She cried after every acting class in the early stages of her career and even after her first Russian language lesson while preparing for her latest role.
But something changed when she moved to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, to film Anora, Sean Baker’s gritty tale about a resilient sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Madison noticed the tears weren’t flowing as usual. “I was holding it in, which I had never done before,” she said.
“I started questioning if I was becoming numb, like, ‘What’s going on?’” What she eventually realized was that the character Ani had taken hold of her in a profound way—something she had heard other actors talk about but never experienced herself.
It’s not surprising that Ani had such a strong grip on Madison. Anora is a defining moment in the 25-year-old’s career.
While she’s had memorable roles in Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019), Scream (2022), and the critically acclaimed FX series Better Things, Anora has launched her to a new level in Hollywood.
The film’s Cannes premiere instantly sparked “a star is born” buzz, with Madison quickly being hailed as a potential Oscar contender.
By the time Anora reached the Telluride Film Festival, a producer remarked, “I need to work with Mikey Madison ASAP.”
The film kicks off with Ani working a shift at a strip club when her boss directs her to a wealthy patron, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), who specifically requested a Russian-speaking girl. Their whirlwind romance soon leads to a hasty marriage.
However, when Ivan’s family finds out and sends enforcers to demand an annulment, Ani refuses to back down. She defends herself against men twice her size with piercing screams and surprising physical strength.
Yet, beneath all that toughness, Madison also portrays Ani’s thick skin as a necessary shield—a defense mechanism in a world where money grants people like Ivan unearned privileges, while punishing those, like Ani, who lack it.
As the film progresses, you can see the exhaustion creep into her once hopeful expression, revealing the toll of chasing a fairy-tale ending that’s slipping away.
