Oscars 2025: Mikey Madison bags the Best Actress Award for Anora

Mikey Madison has won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 97th Academy Awards. She won this award for her role in the movie Anora. Madison played a dancer from Brooklyn who gets married to a Russian oligarch's son. Her performance helped Anora win a lot of Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Sean Baker.

Many people thought Demi Moore would win the Best Actress award for her movie The Substance. She had already won at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards. But Mikey Madison's powerful acting in Anora won the hearts of the people who voted for the Oscars.

When Sean Baker accepted his award for Best Director, he thanked Quentin Tarantino. He said that without Tarantino casting Madison in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Anora would not have been the same.

"If you didn’t cast Mikey Madison, there would be no 'Anora.'"

Mikey Madison is quickly becoming a huge name in the movie business.

Mikey Madison’s breakthrough role in Anora

Mikey Madison gives a powerful performance in Anora that truly stands out. This movie, directed by Sean Baker, is about an exotic dancer from Brooklyn named Anora. She quickly gets married to the wild son of a rich Russian family after a wild trip to Vegas that also has ketamine-induced haze. The story gets real when the boy's powerful parents send people to make them annul the marriage.

Mikey Madison's acting in Anora is big for her career. She shows a lot of depth playing Anora, handling funny and serious moments with ease. She's been talked about a lot during Oscar season, and her win was a surprise because Moore was also nominated and had a strong push for the award.

Variety talked about her win as one of the most surprising things that happened this night at the 2025 Oscars. It showed that even though Moore's performance was talked about, people in the Academy liked Madison's brave portrayal more. This fits with how well the movie has done at other award shows.

Sean Baker’s Anora dominates the 2025 award season

Anora, directed by Sean Baker, became a big winner at the 97th Academy Awards. It took home awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Baker is famous for making movies about people on the edge of society, like The Florida Project and Red Rocket.

Baker's way of directing is very detailed and different from the norm. He tells stories in a way that makes you feel like you're there with the characters. His win for Best Editing was surprising to some because a lot of people thought Conclave would get it. But the editing in Anora helped keep the story fast and exciting, which is why it won the award.

Because of these wins, Anora is now seen as a very important movie, and Baker and Madison are now big names in independent cinema. As more people watch the movie, it's clear it's had a big effect on the way we tell stories today.