A goddess, a role model, and two stars taught Mikey Madison everything she needed to know about acting
Sometimes greatness is a sum of mysterious parts, and sometimes, it’s an exact recipe built from a select cast of influences and inspirations, but with Mikey Madison, it’s easy to see where her magic stems from.
In 2025, when the Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ was announced, the win for then-25-year-old Madison was deserved, who was cast by Sean Baker before he had even really finished writing Anora, having seen her in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Already, he knew she could not only carry the character, but after meeting her, he even wanted her to shape the role alongside him, bringing her into every stage of creating Ani.
Obviously, the majority of that comes down to her obvious talent; even though she’s only in Tarantino’s flick for a little bit and doesn’t play a major role, she’s a scene stealer. Then, in Anora, the film is a masterclass of so many different sides of her abilities, from sharp comedic timing, intense drama and then more nuance, subtle emotion. In one film, she’s funny, intense and devastating, providing the ultimate show reel for any roles moving forward.
But when Madison lays out her holy trinity of influences, it’s easy to see why Baker knew so quickly why she’d be great at the role. Within a short list of names, she basically covers all bases of the character and the emotion that went behind it.
“Pamela is a huge role model of mine,” Madison said to Interview, talking about Pamela Anderson. As Anora specifically dealt with sex work and the trauma surrounding exploitation, Anderson’s own experience of having her sex tape stolen and leaked undeniably connects to the emotions Madison was tapping into.
She shared, “Pamela gave me advice and she said, ‘Don’t take yourself too seriously’, which I think has helped me so much, because in this industry, being a kid you try to be very serious and professional because you’re with all these adults, but you also have to remember you’re a kid and it’s just acting.”
But when it comes to her other key figures, the spread of names seems to speak to her variety. “I think Sofia Coppola is a goddess,” she said, picking out the director who has made more subtle, wistful emotions her golden realm.
Then, when it comes to other actors, she relayed, “I think the characters Holly Hunter and Laura Dern play are so vulnerable and raw,” praising not only the two iconic actors, but specifically the roles they choose. Given how quickly Madison’s name rose, the actor is clearly following in her idols’ footsteps as she’s refused to rush into any parts she doesn’t feel passionately about.
All together, you get the perfect mix: with Anderson’s lived strength, Coppola’s love for the unspoken emotions, and both Hunter and Dern’s onscreen power and offscreen careful planning, Madison emerges as a new talent with the best guides.
