Mikey Madison explains why she chose against using an intimacy coordinator on ‘Anora’
The star of Sean Baker‘s latest film, Mikey Madison, has revealed that she chose not to use an intimacy coordinator during the shoot of Anora. The actor was offered the chance to work with one and declined.
During a conversation with Pamela Anderson for Variety, who recently starred in Gia Coppola’s film The Last Showgirl, the actor shared how she and Mark Eydelshteyn opted against working with an intimacy coordinator, saying they “decided that it would be best to just keep it small with us, and then Sean Baker, the director, and Sammy Kwan, his producing partner and his wife.”
In doing so, Madison claims that they were able to “really streamline the process” and “shoot super quickly”, with Baker describing them as being “less sex scenes and more sex shots”.
Anora follows a New York stripper who is swept up in a fairy-tale romance with a Russian oligarch. His parents attempt to annul their marriage, threatening his chance at a new life. The movie is Baker’s follow-up to the 2021 film Red Rocket, which was celebrated for its low-budget filmmaking style.
When asked about Baker’s work, Madison said, “I had seen Sean’s films and I know his dedication to authenticity. I also wanted to immerse myself in that, so I was ready for it,” Madison says.
Noting that her character is a sex worker, she added, “It requires a lot of her body and her skin. I think that—I’ve said it before—but I think she wears her nudity more like a costume in a way. She presents herself in this sort of hypersexualised way because it’s how she makes a living, and it’s just what she as to do. And so I think I also, as an actress, I approached it in a way of like, it being a job. So I was very comfortable.”
Madison explained that because her character was comfortable in this setting, she in turn felt relaxed, explaining, “We talked at length about each scene, what it would look like. And Sean and his wife and producing partner Sammy [Samantha Quan] would even block out what it would look like [on screen]”.
The film is expected to be in contention at the Academy Awards next year. However, the list of nominations aren’t set to be revealed until January 17th, 2025.
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