As we approach the 97th annual Academy Awards, there’s a lot of chatter surrounding who’s going to win Best Picture. And with a whopping 104 wins on the RT Awards Leaderboard, it makes sense that many are predicting Sean Baker’s Anora, starring Mikey Madison, will take the win. RT Awards Editor Jacqueline Coley recently sat down with Madison to talk about the film and how she brought her character, Ani, to life. Her performance landed her a handful of awards this season, including the Spirit Award for Best Actress. Check out the video above to see the full interview, and tune in on March 2 when the 2025 Oscars air live on ABC and Hulu.
Jacqueline Coley for Rotten Tomatoes: I know that Sean [Baker] basically knew that he wanted to write this role for you. He knew that he found his Ani. I’m curious when you found her. When did you know you had her?
Mikey Madison: I think I was so nervous about this film and I have never had an experience where a director has written a role for me, so I feel like I overcompensated by the amount of preparation I did — physical preparation, research, emotional preparation. I got to Brighton Beach and I knew everything about my character. I didn’t leave any question unanswered, but as an actress, I was still feeling insecure, and I think it was finally when I had on the costume and the pleasers and the nails and I was in hair and makeup, that everything just kind of clicked into place.
Anora is now in theaters and available to buy/rent on Fandango at Home.
