Mikey Madison is opening up about what her first Oscar nomination means to her.
Madison is nominated this year for best actress for her starring role in Anora, director Sean Baker‘s modern-day take on the Cinderella story. She plays the titular character, a sex worker who is thrown into a world of chaos after she marries the son of a Russian oligarch.
“It’s a Sean Baker film, and if you’re not familiar with his work, he is such a unique, singular filmmaker,” Madison told Good Morning America on Wednesday. “He has a wonderful kind of wicked, naughty sense of humor. He’s just really interested in telling stories about humanity and interesting characters and worlds. I would say just go in with an open mind.”
One person who went in with an open mind: Madison’s grandmother, whom she described as “very regal and polite.” Despite the risqué subject matter, her grandmother came out loving the film.
“But she’s my grandma. She saves all of my magazine clippings and covers. She loved the film. I think she’s seen it a few times,” Mikey said. “I was a little concerned, but she went and saw it herself and then called me and said she loved it and I was like, ‘Oh, thank God!'”
Madison said she was having a “very sweet and low-key” FaceTime with her family watching the Oscars nomination ceremony when she heard her name listed as a nominee alongside Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Demi Moore for The Substance and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here.
“It’s not a competition. We’ve all already won. I think it’s just a celebration from here on out. It’s a celebration of film,” she said.
The 2025 Oscars will take place Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu.
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