← All Of It with Alison Stewart
All Of It with Alison Stewart
Mikey Madison is 'Anora'
00:24:51
Actor Mikey Madison discusses her Oscar-nominated performance in the Sean Baker film "Anora."
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Listener Supporter
Listener Supported.
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Alison Stewart
This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studio in Soho. Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. I'm really grateful you're here. Today on the show we will learn how to write a new class offered by our pals at New York Magazine. They'll share it with us. We'll also hear the true tale of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to get the death penalty in the UK. A new BritBox show tells about her life story. It's called A Cruel Love. And we'll talk with Oscar winning producer Joseph Patel. His new film takes on the genius that was Sly Stone. That's the plan. So let's get started with Oscar nominee Mikey Madison. And to get in the mood, let's begin with the song that opens the film.
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Mikey Madison
Today. This could be the greatest day of our lives.
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Alison Stewart
In order to play the role of a tenacious sex worker in Enora, actor Mikey Madison immersed herself in the character. She moved to Brighton beach, where the movie takes place. She spent time in strip clubs learning about the dancers and their lives. She took pole dancing classes and Russian.
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Interviewer
Language classes and mastered a Brooklyn accent.
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Alison Stewart
All of this shines through in in her Oscar nominated performance as Honora. Annie, as she likes to be known, thinks she has hit the jackpot when she meets a young man at the club. Vanya's the son of a Russian oligarch.
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Interviewer
He's loaded, or his parents are.
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Alison Stewart
He parties, he spends a lot of money. He has a certain charm though. And after spending a few weeks together, he proposes marriage. But this fairy tale comes to a.
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Interviewer
Screeching halt when Vanya's parents find out about the marriage.
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Alison Stewart
They send some sort of incompetent fixers to try to force an annulment. An annulment Annie is not having. Just this weekend, Honora took home the top prizes from the producer and the Directors Guild of America. And the film is nominated for six Oscars, including best Picture, Best Director for Shawn Baker and Best Actress for my guest, Mikey Madison. Mikey, it's really nice to see you.
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Mikey Madison
Hi. I'm so happy to be here.
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Alison Stewart
I'm so glad you're here.
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Interviewer
I read that Sean Baker started working on the Character of Annie with you in mind and you were able to sort of have a collaboration with him, when it first came to you, what did you think?
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Mikey Madison
Oh, wow. Yeah. Well, when Sean Baker reached out to me, it was kind of out of the blue. I had just had a horror film premiere and he went to see it opening weekend, and we had coffee just a handful of days later, and he said, hey, this is. Here's an idea I have for. For my next film, and if you want to do it, I'll write it for you. And so the process from there was collaborative, but I really knew very little about the character or what she would be like. It was just us kind of confirming that we would love to work with each other.
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Alison Stewart
When you're thinking about Annie now and you're thinking about her family and her backstory, we don't know that much about Annie. Did you know? Did you know about Annie's backstory? Was it in your mind?
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Mikey Madison
Oh, yeah, of course. You know, I mean, I think every actor's process is different, but for me, that felt like something that was absolutely necessary is to know who my character is inside and out and obviously still leave room to constantly be able to discover more. But I needed to know everything about her so that if someone were to ask me any kind of question about Annie, I would. I would know I'd be able to answer without any hesitation. So I certainly asked myself lots of questions about who she is. And, you know, I had months and months to develop her.
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Alison Stewart
Who's Annie's favorite designer?
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Mikey Madison
Well, I mean, you know, it's interesting because I bought some of my characters clothes for her in Brighton beach, and I definitely got a little bit ripped off. But, you know, her clothing is such an important reflection of who she is, and she definitely dresses a certain way to present certain sides of her. And so I think that the way that she dresses, I think she's trying to look expensive. So if you're to ask her her favorite designer, she would probably say like Chanel or Prada, because she wants a Chanel bag or she wants a Prada purse, you know, And I think that's really mirrored because she wears this big, extravagant, expensive fur coat for a lot of the film, which is gifted to her by her new husband. And to her, I think that coat, even though it's so. It's such a grand display, it's extra. It's it, yes. Extra. That's the perfect word for it. She wears it because to her it's like that. That is her dream encompassed into One piece of clothing. So long, long answer to your question.
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Alison Stewart
But that's an excellent public radio answer.
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Mikey Madison
Oh, okay, good.
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Alison Stewart
It's funny, you're sort of a soft spoken person and Annie is not. She's the opposite. But that's your job, right? To get into somebody, to get into their personality and to believe those things about them. When you think about Annie, what do you admire?
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Mikey Madison
Oh, I mean, playing this character, I just. I fell in love with her as a character. And I think the biggest thing for me when playing someone is I completely have to be able to empathize with them. And so when she's going through her journey of what she goes through throughout this film, a lot of it is quite heartbreaking and unfair and difficult, and I was feeling all of those things. But I think throughout everything she goes through in the film, she maintains this level of hopefulness which I really admire about her. She also has this incredible fighting spirit that I love. She is a true fighter in many different ways. I mean, physically, yes, she's a fighter. She's scrappy, but she's. She's an emotional fighter. Like, she is willing to fight for the life she believes is rightfully hers. And that's something that I really love about her. I definitely think that that's kind of an envious quality. There's been certainly times in my life where I wish I stood up for myself more. And I do love that about her, is that she stands up for herself.
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Alison Stewart
I love that she's determined. She is so determined.
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Mikey Madison
She is, yes.
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Alison Stewart
My guest is Mikey Madison, star of the film Honora. She's nominated for best actress in a leading role at this year's Academy Awards. So when we first meet Annie, where is she in her life? How is she feeling about her work?
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Mikey Madison
Yeah, when you first meet her, she is at work, she's working at the club. And you get to see her kind of going through the motions of what her job is like for. For an entire night. And I think that Annie is really good at her job. I think that she enjoys her sexuality and that is. And that she's comfortable in that. And so that's how I always viewed her in terms of her work and what she does. You know, there's this memoir I read called Modern Horror. It's written by a really cool woman who has sort of a similar lived experience to my character, Annie. And in her memoir, she spoke about really enjoying sex and her sexuality. And I was like, oh, this. I really love this. I love her sense of humor. I want to implicate that into Annie and her story and. And how she views work. And so you see that you see her with customers. You see her often just talking with her co workers, and then you see her at home. So there's lots of different sides of the character that you get to see. You get to see those more private moments when she's not performing for anyone. And then you also see those moments where she's kind of creating a face to meet each face that she meets.
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Interviewer
Annie has assimilated somewhat. She doesn't want to be called Honora. What does being called Honora make her feel?
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Mikey Madison
I think it's a mixture of things. Well, first of all, she calls herself Annie because at work it's common for women to not go by their real names. They'll usually go by a fake name that they made up and that they like or a nickname. And so I think that's one reason, and I think another reason is that she, you know, is her grandmother was an immigrant and her mother, but she's, you know, first generation American. And I think that she is just raised in a way to not identify with that part of her heritage and her life. As I think from what I've learned, a lot of first generation Americans also feel. And so I think that she's kind of pushing that aside. She wants to be seen as Annie, this kind of character she's created for herself, this perfect girlfriend experience. And I think Honora is a little bit too close to home, a little bit too vulnerable. But I do think that Annie is kind of who she pretends to be, and Honora is really who she is.
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Interviewer
You decided to live in Brighton beach in preparation for this role. What were you hoping to learn by moving into the neighborhood?
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Mikey Madison
I don't know what I was hoping for. I just thought, you know, why don't I try this out? I've never played a character like Annie before. I've never quite done this amount of research and preparation. And so I was given an opportunity to go to Brighton beach early and immerse myself in that community and go to all the New York clubs and shadow dancers. And I was like, I think this is something I need to do. I think this is going to be an interesting experience. Sure. Because when would I have an opportunity to live in Brighton Beach? And I also think this will be good for the character. And so I was able to continue my research into sex work and spend lots of time with the club my character worked at and also just get to understand Brighton beach and. And work on the Accent, too.
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Alison Stewart
Let's talk about the accent. First of all, let's play a clip so people can hear you being Annie. This is from Anora.
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Mikey Madison
No, I know Annie.
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DJ
I got a kid who wants someone who speaks Russian.
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Mikey Madison
You know, Jimmy, the girls and I have been talking, and if your cousin doesn't start showing us some respect, we're not gonna tip out anymore.
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DJ
All right, I'll talk to.
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Interviewer
Who are you talking about?
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Mikey Madison
The dj.
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DJ
All right. Seriously.
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Mikey Madison
I shared my playlist with him, and he was very rude and dismissive.
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DJ
You're killing me. Let's go. Come on.
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Mikey Madison
No, I'm eating my food.
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Alison Stewart
I love the way you're up with the fork in his face. What was. What was hard to nail about the accent?
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Mikey Madison
Well, first of all, I think that's the only clip where there isn't cursing. So. Gosh, the accent. I mean, I don't. I only done an accent one time before, and so I think at first it was just trying to find the place where the accent sort of resonates in me.
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Alison Stewart
Sure.
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Mikey Madison
And also just get to a point where it's very natural. I'm not searching for the words that it's able to just come out in a way that feels very lived in and honest. You know, I. My voice kind of, like, resides up the top of my head, and it kind of floats. Floats pretty high up. And her. Her voice is a little bit more deeper. I think it resonates in a different place. Excuse me. And so it was just about fine tuning it and adding little details here and there. But I have to say, the accent was something that I think came kind of quickly, and I was able to get to a place really quickly. I wouldn't say that that was. That definitely wasn't the hardest part of building the character, but a very important one.
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Alison Stewart
What was the hardest part then?
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Mikey Madison
I think. I mean, you know, trying to build the emotional arc of the character. I think maybe a more obvious answer would be like, learning Russian or, you know, spending five months trying to learn how to dance like a stripper. That was difficult. But I think the emotional arc of her, it's very nuanced and specific, and she's someone who doesn't necessarily wear. She doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve. You know, she feels all of these things very deeply. I think she's a very vulnerable, sensitive person, but it's all on the inside. She's covering it up with this very sort of scrappy, tough layer of steel, and she doesn't want anybody to penetrate it. I Think that for a lot of the film, she's kind of trying to hold onto some dignity, and so she's not letting anyone inside. But in more private moments, you're able to see that facade break and see how she actually feels. And so for me, it was just about really being clear about when those moments are, trying to build that arc with the character and then also just get to a place where I'm emotionally available, you know, vulnerable, but constantly covering, which I think is difficult, because for me, I think I'm a very. As Mikayla, a very, like, vulnerable person. And, like, I wear my heart on my face, I think. And so just to be protective of that in a different way was an interesting exercise for me.
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Interviewer
Mikayla's such a pretty name.
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Mikey Madison
Oh, yes, that's my name. I think it's interesting.
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Interviewer
Do your friends call you Mikayla, or is it one of those things where everybody calls you Mikey or.
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Mikey Madison
I kind of wish people called me Mikayla, but I have so many. So many nicknames. It's actually kind of a nuisance at this point, but Mikey is just one of them that stuck. And my family calls me something different. Some of my friends call me something different, and a few select people call me Mikayla, but I think I sometimes refer to myself as that.
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Interviewer
My guest is Mikey Madison, star of Anora. She's nominated for Best Actress. In the beginning with Vanya, it's clear it's a transactional relationship. In your mind playing Annie, does it ever become anything other than a transactional relationship?
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Mikey Madison
Yeah, I think so. You know, I think that the lines become blurred at a certain point, because obviously in the beginning, I think she sort of feels like she found sort of a jackpot client. Like, the perfect client. You know, he's young, he's nice, he's charming, he's fun, he's very generous. But then I think that the lines become a bit blurred at a certain point when he welcomes her into his life in such a grand way. I think that he's someone who she could possibly see herself dating in real life, outside of work. And so. And so I think that I don't think she ever is really in love with him. I think that she sees the possibility of love and that she has fallen in love and been seduced by the lifestyle and the sort of dream of what his life is in the US.
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Alison Stewart
Let'S listen to a scene where he proposes. Okay. She doesn't believe him at first, but he starts to convince her. Let's listen to a little bit scene and Talk about on their side. This scene, you'll hear Vanya speak in Russian. This is menorah.
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Mikey Madison
Stop, stop, stop.
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Vanya
Annie.
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Mikey Madison
Yeah?
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Vanya
Will you marry me?
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Mikey Madison
Seriously?
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Vanya
Seriously.
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Mikey Madison
So you want to get married to me, Vanya? You want me to be your little wifey? Yeah.
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Vanya
Yes. I just think that we had great time together. And. And I will become American and my parents.
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Mikey Madison
Are you serious?
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Vanya
I'm serious. And I said it twicely.
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Alison Stewart
It's interesting. That scene has a beginning, a middle and end. You really get to see her arc. How she doesn't believe him, but maybe she does, right?
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Mikey Madison
Yeah. I was. Excuse me. I was laughing at the bully. I wonder how many times a cuss word appears in this film. Someone should count because it's a drinking game. It's gotta be up there a lot. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, gosh, this scene, I really love this scene. And I love that Yvonne says twicely. It's so charming to me. But, no, I mean, I think that when he proposes to her, at first she thinks it's a joke and then realizes it's real. And it's like. I think even up until they run into the chapel, she probably still thinks maybe it's a joke. And then it actually happens, and it's like, well, why not? Like, let's have this fun adventure? I want to be married to this guy. This is, you know, she. She hit the lotto, like they say in the film. So, yeah, no, it's. It's. It's an interesting scene, and it's a little bit quieter, too. It's a more vulnerable, private scene, I think, that you get to see with them. And, you know, there's a lot of chaos in this film, which I love. And our director, Sean Baker, does so well and with so much humor and. And incredible characters. But it's nice, I think, in the film, where you have a scene just with two people like that and talking. So, yeah, I liked filming that scene.
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Interviewer
These men show up, they have to.
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Alison Stewart
Get the marriage annulled.
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Interviewer
Annie is a fighter, as we've talked about. The men show up. She's a little scared, and then she's not scared. I'm curious. What did the script say in the scene where you fight these big men?
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Mikey Madison
Well, I. I mean, I remember reading it, and, you know, you read something like that, and you're like, oh, fun. Okay. Yeah.
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Interviewer
She's.
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Mikey Madison
Wow. Wow. This happens and then this, and. And then you actually film it. And it's an entirely different experience because I did my own stunts in the film, and so it was Very tightly choreographed. But to actually film it was very intense. And I mean, just to preface, I felt safe the whole time, but, I mean, so exhilarating and such a strange experience. I've done many fight scenes in my career thus far, but nothing compares to that. I mean. Yeah, wow. Sorry, I'm just being transported back.
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Alison Stewart
Yeah. Give me an example of. During the choreography, something one moment in the film when you thought like, oh, this is how they're gonna do this.
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Mikey Madison
Well, you know, Sean. Sean is the kind of director where he's not a big, like, shot, reverse shot, master shot kind of director. He likes to do things either in one take or, you know, do something really dynamic with the camera. And so a lot of those fight sequences are just kind of one long take. And so, you know, we had to tightly choreograph that ourselves. I think Sean and I and two of the producers and Yura just kind of went into the mansion and figured out how to get from one living room to the next and how we should use the space as best as possible. And we would just kind of go through it half speed, really, really slow. And Sean would be like, oh, it'd be great if you could knock this lamp over. Or, oh, there's a vase here. If you could somehow kick that with your foot, that would be wonderful. And. And, you know, you do it half speed. But then it's like, okay, now it's time to actually shoot this thing. And nothing really can prepare you for that. Sure. I think you just have to get yourself to that emotional moment. Whatever the character is feeling, whatever kind of frenetic energy you need to build up inside yourself and just shoot it. But I had a wonderful scene partner, Jura Borisov, who. Yeah, he's just wonderful. And he kind of inspired me because he's just. He's a very committed actor, and he wanted to do everything too. And so he wanted it to feel as real as possible. And I really loved that. And it kind of pushed me to want to, you know, fight even harder.
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Interviewer
And you filmed in a house? Yes.
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Mikey Madison
Yeah, we filmed in a beautiful mansion in. In. In Brighton beach on the water. So beautiful. It was actually owned by, I think, a real Russian oligarch. So it was pretty perfect.
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Interviewer
Somebody said, you can see that house from the belt.
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Mikey Madison
Oh, really?
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Interviewer
Yeah.
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Alison Stewart
There you go. How long did you take?
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Interviewer
How long did it film the film? How long was the filming?
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Mikey Madison
The entire filming process, I think, was about 40 days, but that sort of home invasion sequence was eight days, so.
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Interviewer
Oh, that's interesting.
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Mikey Madison
Yeah.
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Interviewer
So that took the. Wow. That took the predominance of the filming. That's interesting, huh?
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Alison Stewart
Where were you when you found out.
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Interviewer
You were nominated for an Oscar?
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Mikey Madison
I was just in a hotel room on FaceTime with my mom and dad and my brother and my dog and. Your dog? Yeah, why not? My mom has been taking care of my dog when I travel because he's really, really naughty and isn't. He's not ready to travel yet. Let's just say we would get kicked out of the airport, so. So she's taking care of him and he was also there.
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Alison Stewart
What has been memorable to you? I'm sure you'll have more seasons like this, but this is a big awards season. Campaigning, et cetera, et cetera. But you get to sort of live in it. You get to be present in it every day. Has there been a moment that's really. You thought, I'm in it. I'm actually living this moment.
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Mikey Madison
You know, that's one of the things that I am trying to remind myself the most to do is to be present because I think, you know, a lot of this has gone, so it's gone so quickly and I'm moving so fast and going to this place and this place, and I really have to remind myself to just take certain memories, really remember them, and then keep them forever. So I need to. I need to keep doing that. But earlier when you said Oscar nominee Mikey Madison, I was like, oh, wow. I think it doesn't quite feel real yet. Sometimes it does and then sometimes it doesn't, if you know what I mean.
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Alison Stewart
We got a really nice text that says, moms of a certain age who loved better things are thrilled to see this talented young actress soar to great heights. Congratulations, Mikey Madison.
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Mikey Madison
Aw, that's so sweet.
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Alison Stewart
The name of the film is Anora. Mikey, thanks for being here.
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Mikey Madison
Thank you so much.
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Ira Flatow
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