Mikey Madison Reveals She Spent Months Training for a 20-Second Stripper Pole Scene in ‘Anora’
Mikey Madison is about to be a household name. The star leads Sean Baker’s “Anora” as sex worker and exotic dancer Ani. When a Russian nepo-baby of sorts comes to her club, events unfurl, they get married, and chaos ensues. Following the film’s world premiere at Cannes, buzz immediately emphasized her star-making turn and launched an early campaign for next year’s Best Actress race at the Oscars.
Baker, who has a knack for casting up-and-comers and showcasing them in a never-before-seen light, saw Madison in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and then 2022’s “Scream” and knew she was the one for the role. “Honestly, it was one of the easiest casting processes I’ve ever been through,” she told IndieWire at the film’s TIFF premiere. “I’ve never been offered a film like that.”
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From learning Russian and pole-dance training, there were challenges ahead for Madison, but she thoroughly knocked it far, far out of the park. “I trained for months even just to do a quick 20-second scene on a pole, because I really wanted her to seem like a very seasoned dancer that had been dancing for at least a couple of years,” she said. “And then learned Russian. It was a lot of preparation, but I loved it.”
As for any inspirations that went into particular scenes, Madison said that there wasn’t anything too specific that inspired her. “I mean, he’s such an original filmmaker.”
“I feel like, he sent me some inspirations, like some sexpoitation films from the seventies, some Italian films, foreign films, some French as well. I think we pulled inspiration from that, but I really [wanted] her [to be] like a completely new character.”
While Madison isn’t paying too close attention to all the buzz about her performance, especially in regard to the Oscars, she is “so happy that people are liking the film and having some kind of emotional reaction.” In a similar vein, she keeps off of social media, telling us that “it’s just not for me.”
“Anora” will be released by Neon, which handled the release of fellow Palme d’Or winners “Parasite,” “Triangle of Sadness,” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” which all went on to be Oscar-nominated, with “Parasite” winning Best Picture, among other awards, and “Anatomy of a Fall” winning Best Original Screenplay.
The film opens in theaters on October 18.
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