The name on everyone’s lips this fall will undoubtedly be Anora. After debuting earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, the Sean Baker-directed picture won the Palme d’Or and earned critical acclaim, with particular praise aimed at Mikey Madison’s star-making turn as the title character.
Anora It has since screened at various film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival, and is set to debut in limited release on October 18 before expanding nationwide. This year, it was also widely tipped for awards honors, where it was suggested that Madison could be a lock for a Best Actress nomination.
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Anora Follows its title character, Annie for short, a New York City sex worker who ends up in a whirlwind romance with Ivan (Mark Eidelstein), the son of Russian oligarchs, which results in a hasty marriage. When Ivan’s family finds out about his marriage, things quickly devolve into a symphony of chaos.
Mikey Madison approached the role of ​​​​​​​​​Anora with great care
That care has paid off
So far, Madison’s busiest role has been in 2022 screamBut she also appeared in Better things And Once upon a time… in Hollywood. 2024 has seen Madison enter a whole new phase of her career, but when asked how she feels about all the praise she’s received for AnoraMadison stays focused on the film.
“I don’t know,” When asked how she feels about the possibility of her being nominated for Best Actress, she says, “I’m just so happy that people loved the film and that it’s going to be shown in a much wider way than I could have ever expected.” Before its wide release, Anora Has been screened all over the world, something that Madison was soaking up.
There are so many things that I admire [Ani]…
“I get to go to all these amazing countries and show our film in different languages. It was a dream come true. I think I’m still processing a little bit of it.” It means that Anora Can open even more doors for the young star, who knows exactly what she wants her next step to be.
“I have a running Google Doc of directors I love, producers, writers, [and] actors,” she says, “I’m constantly discovering new ones, there’s so much talent here.” Luca Guadagnino, the director of 2024 films Challengers And funnyis one name Madison cites. Alice Rohrwacher, whose film La Chimera Released earlier this year, is another.
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Before moving on to her next role, Madison still cherishes her time spent as Annie, even if she doesn’t see many similarities between herself and the character. “I think that Annie is someone who has always felt so different from who I am,” she says, “And I think there are things about her that I wish I had.”
“I love her fighting spirit. I love her hope. I love her scrappiness and her willingness to just jump into a fight, physically or verbally, at any moment,” Madison continues, “There are so many things I admire about you, but in terms of similarities, I feel like we’re so different.”
One of the main differences between Madison and Annie is their voices. Where Madison is soft and thoughtful, Annie is bold and speaks her mind, with a thick New York accent to boot. Madison explained how she nailed the accent, something she put a lot of work and care into, just as she did making sure to portray sex work as accurately as possible.
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I worked with a dialect coach to create a base for the accent. I wanted it to be very specific to Brighton Beach, to Brooklyn, and I also wanted to incorporate a modern way of speaking. It’s a certain bent that many young women I met in the clubs had, and I wanted Annie to have [it] As well, because I found it to be very charming and present. So I came to New York, to Brighton Beach, a little less than a month early, so I could live in the community and experience the culture and hear and fine tune the accent as much as I could. Then I would, with embarrassment, try it, order a coffee, just see if it passes without anyone noticing. And I think I drilled the accent so deep into my brain that I was able to just slip into it in an easy way.
More about Anora
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her advantage is threatened when the parents set off for New York to get the marriage annulled.