Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar for 'Anora'

Mikey Madison claimed her first Academy Award on Sunday, winning best actress for her role as a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch in the drama "Anora."

The 25-year-old beat "The Substance" actor Demi Moore, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, Cynthia Erivo of "Wicked" and "Emilia Perez" star Karla Sofia Gascon.

"I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible," Madison said, reading nervously from a piece of paper.

"I also just want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally of all the incredible people, the women that I've had the privilege of meeting from that community."

In "Anora," Madison played an exotic dancer named Ani who gets married on a whim to Ivan, a member of a wealthy Russian family. Ivan quickly immerses Ani in his life of parties, drugs and sex and, during a wild trip to Vegas, marries her.

But the quickie marriage incenses Ivan's parents, who head to New York to set things right, and Ani quickly finds herself out of her depth.

She is forced into a zany search for an AWOL Ivan through Brooklyn's "Little Odessa" -- Brighton Beach -- and an uncomfortable trip back to Sin City to get the marriage annulled, on which she experiences the cruelty of class warfare.

Madison trained in pole dancing for three months and frequented sex clubs to research the role. The Los Angeles native also perfected a Brooklyn accent and learned some basic Russian.

At 16, Madison landed a role on FX television series "Better Things." She also had a small part in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time ...in Hollywood" and starred in "Scream V."

Her "Anora" role also earned Madison best actress honors at the Independent Spirit Awards and Britain's BAFTAs.

"I'm a little sick of talking about myself. Do you know what I mean? I feel embarrassed sometimes talking about myself," she told Deadline in February.

Born in California on March 25, 1999, to two psychologists, Madison grew up in the greater LA area, with no dreams of making it big in Hollywood.

The homeschooled horse lover trained as an equestrian before being bitten by the acting bug in her teens.

"I thought that looks fun or that looks like a safe place to explore all of those things without having to do it in real life," she told The New York Times in an interview published in January.

Still in her teens, she made her breakthrough as Pamela Adlon's rebellious daughter in television's "Better Things." The show ran from 2016 to 2022.

She shot "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" between seasons, and then got the surprising role in "Scream." Madison is also part of the Apple TV+ mini-series "Lady in the Lake" starring Natalie Portman.
Madison is close to her parents and twin brother, and eschews social media.

"I would understand a curiosity toward a character in film, but that's never been something I've really understood -- like, the curiosity towards the actor themselves," she told the Times.

(Reuters and AFP)