Sexy, sultry, irreverent, she is the magnetic revelation of the latest Palme d'Or, to be discovered since October 30 in our cinemas. She plays a sex worker.
“I am very comfortable with sex and nudity”: who is the star of this sulphurous Palme d’Or to be seen in theaters?
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She is one of the greatest revelations in all of Hollywood, a new star like her sisters Sydney Sweeney – who we decipher in detail in this portrait – Margaret Qualley, Mia Goth, Hunter Schafer. .. And the role that reveals it to the world supports this assertion: Anora by Sean Baker, to be discovered at all costs in theaters from October 30.
Anorait's nothing more, nothing less, than the last Palme d'Or. Film celebrated in Cannes by the president of the festival Greta Gerwig, compared to the masterpieces of US comedy (the supercharged films of Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, George Cukor) and where this actress, in the title role, shines: there you go for a quick description of Mikey Madison. Actress only 25 years old, in the spotlight with this flamboyant score, that of an exuberant escort and pole dancer with crazy adventures.
Anora therefore, a sex worker or “TDS” rubbing shoulders, depending on remuneration, with the son of a Russian oligarch, before agreeing to marry him – always according to remuneration – and arousing the ire of his father, determined to get rid of of the stripper and call girl… A powerful female character who winks at a modern fairy tale – Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts! – to better reverse it trashy version…
Until the explosive interviews with Mikey Madison, who has this character of an uninhibited and elusive woman in his skin…
“Pole dancing and high heels”: Mikey Madison, a star is born
In the US press, the 25-year-old's revelation arouses the most zany descriptions: “epic”, “modern woman”, “complex”, “Oscar-worthy“…and ELLE Canada to affirm it: “Mikey Madison's name is about to be on everyone's lips“.
A spontaneous coronation for the one who has only been filming since 2016 and her first timid steps in the sitcom Better Things. She plays the eldest daughter of a family… But it was still three years later that Madison revealed herself to the industry by playing Sadie, an acolyte and “groupie” of Charles Manson, in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino. At his side, and under the benevolent gaze of Margot Robbie, we find Sydney Sweeney and Margaret Qualley, we come back to that… Anora finally crowns this Hunger Games fan.
Admired because she is free in her game, Mikey Madison is also free with her body.
“I knew from the start that I was playing a character who uses his body in a very particular way because it's part of his job.“, she explains to Interview magazine. “So I studied a lot of dancers, I went to clubs and saw how they used their bodies, because for me nudity is a bit like a costume“
Mikey Madison notably learned pole dancing, even if these sequences only concern… A few seconds in the film!
“Pole dancing is very physically demanding, in a way I didn't expect, because it makes you look so effortless, beautiful and sexy. So, even if it's just for a few seconds, you see Ani inside out and what she can do, and immediately you get a sense of how long she's been dancing, how well she's dancing. train hard. You know she's a seasoned dancer. All of this adds layers and depth to the character and this world“, she testifies to the Guardian.
And at Interview, always: “I also memorized the way this sex worker moves in heels. I always wanted to wear high heels because I wanted her to be on her tiptoes. Plus, when you wear heels that high, it makes you walk a certain way, so it was important that I always looked as tall as possible“
“Nudity is just a second costume in fact”: Mikey Madison adored by Isabelle Huppert and Greta Gerwig
And she is so free and uninhibited that it arouses the admiration of her peers. That of Greta Gerwig, complimenting her talent as president of the Cannes Film Festival last May – the director of Barbie is herself an actress as a reminder. But also, from our national Isabelle Huppert…
“That’s nicely said, having nudity as a costume. But it's one thing to say it and another to make it tangible. I was really amazed by what you did“, rejoiced one of the greatest actresses in France to Madison, specifying: “I'm amazed, because it's very physical and never sentimental as a performance, which I love, because too much sentimentality kills performances. You have to keep a certain distance, and that's exactly what you did. But physically, it’s so engaging!“
Yes, physically, Madison gives her all.
“My character likes sexuality”
She even goes so far as to shoot sex and nude scenes without an intimacy coordinator.
As a reminder, an intimacy coordinator is an intimate choreographer who, on a shoot, interacts with the actors to ensure the correct direction of the most immodest and carnal sequences. Make sure they understand the scene, put them at ease, ensure their consent.
A profession that still divides a lot, surprisingly. Despite the admiring bows of Oscar winner Emma Stone, as we tell you in this article. Another actress who had to confront very frontal nude and sex scenes.
And Mikey Madison assures the New York Times that he is “always comfortable” with nudity in Anora : “I've always been comfortable with nudity, and I also think it's because Ani, my character, was too. I never thought about being nervous or anything. I just played a character that feels close to home, something that I've been thinking about recently and that interests me“
To the Guardian, Madison explains that she was inspired by a Toronto dancer and escort, Andrea Werhun, who became a consultant on the film: “I really connected to her. And I thought Ani could relate to her, because I loved her sense of humor and the way she talked about sex work and how much she loved it. And I think Ani is someone who loves her sexuality, and so it was nice to read that perspective. Yeah, I wanted it to be happy“.
A successful bet, according to the review: delightful.
