Mikey Madison names her four favourite movies
Mikey Madison has enjoyed a rather impressive rise to fame, having already won a ‘Best Actress’ Oscar despite having a slim list of credits to her name. Starting out in the mid-2010s with a main role on the show Better Things, she soon impressed critics with her performance as a Manson Family member in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
It was here that she piqued the attention of filmmaker Sean Baker, who noticed the brilliance of the young actor. Madison soon went on to prove her ability for complex characters with a major part in 2022’s Scream, before Baker recruited her for his 2024 film Anora, playing an impulsive stripper who decides to marry the son of a Russian oligarch shortly after meeting him.
Madison might have only had a few major roles before she led Anora, but she proved that she has what it takes to become one of the most consistent and talented actors of her generation. It’s not surprising, then, that her top four favourite movies, which she shared in an interview with Letterboxd, reflect a keen interest in cinema, something she has clearly studied for years in an attempt to become the best actor she can possibly be.
Her first pick was Paris, Texas, Wim Wender’s incredible 1984 film starring Harry Dean Stanton as a man who reconnects with his son after years of being missing, only to attempt to find his estranged wife, too. It’s a tender and heart-wrenching film packed with powerful performances from the whole cast, including Nastassja Kinski and Dean Stockwell.
Her second pick was a Baker film, Prince of Broadway, which shocked the filmmaker to whom she was sitting next. “Yeah, I love Prince of Broadway,” she told him, much to his amazement. Released in 2008, the film follows a street hustler who experiences a significant shift when he discovers that he has a son. Lucky attempts to navigate life as a new father and Baker crafts a strikingly real portrait that feels more like a documentary than a fictional narrative.
She then picked Loulou, an underrated slice of gritty realism from 1980, directed by Maurice Pialat. The film stars Isabelle Huppert as a woman who leaves her unhappy relationship with a well-off husband to be with Loulou, portrayed by Gerard Depardieu, a petty criminal with no prospects. Depicting a futile sense of optimism regarding relationships, Loulou is full of quiet violence and naturalism – something that seems to draw Madison’s attention.
Finally, a much more lighthearted pick – The Princess Diaries. The teen movie, starring Anne Hathaway as a high-schooler who discovers she is actually royalty, is a beloved film for many. Released in 2001, several generations of young women have grown up with the film, which became a worldwide hit at the box office and remains a classic slice of noughties teen rom-com cinema. It might not be as raw and true to life as Madison’s other picks, but who doesn’t love a nostalgic and comforting film that reminds them of growing up?
