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Mikey Madison is officially an Academy Award winner, collecting the trophy for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars for her scene-stealing role in Anora. The win is somewhat of an upset, as Demi Moore was thought to be a shoo-in for her work in The Substance and with the many pre-Oscars awards she collected in the lead up to the 97th edition of the Academy Awards.
Madison’s surprise win wasn’t the only award given to Anora, with Sean Baker taking home the trophy for Best Director and the film itself beating out Conclave and The Brutalist to be crowned the year’s Best Picture. Now, with all eyes on this relatively green actress, attention has turned to Madison’s previous work, which laid the groundwork for her triumph as the titular Anora.
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
In 2017, Madison made her film debut in Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey, but it wasn’t until a few years later that she would rub shoulders with her fellow Oscar-winning peers. That all came courtesy of 2019’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, the Quentin Tarantino-directed film based partially on the Manson Family murders. Madison portrayed Sadie, one of the cult members, and was joined on the cast by a who’s who of young Hollywood, including Maya Hawke, Sydney Sweeney, Austin Butler, and Margaret Qualley.
The Addams Family
Madison followed up on Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood with a voice role in The Addams Family, directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan. While they never appeared in the flesh, the cast of the 2019 animation was no less starry than Tarantino’s, with Madison’s role as a barista named Candi sitting alongside the likes of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Allison Janney.
Scream
After The Addams Family, Madison had a role in 2021’s It Takes Three, but it was the next year in which she reached franchise-level fame. In 2022, Madison appeared in Scream, the fifth installment in the beloved slasher franchise in the pivotal role of Amber Freeman.
Anora
Anora is Madison’s breakthrough role, seeing her knock it out of the park as a sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Drama follows when his ultrarich parents learn of the Vegas wedding. Madison was praised for her accent work in the film, and her beating Moore at the Oscars turned the tide on the so-called legacy win.
Better Things, Imposters and Lady In The Lake
Over on the small screen, Madison has only starred in three television shows. Her TV debut came in 2016 with a main role as Maxine Fox in Better Things, the Louis C.K.-created dramedy starring Pamela Aldon. The series ran for five seasons, with Madison juggling the role with her brief, two-episode stint in Imposters. She would go on to rub shoulders with a fellow Oscar-winner in 2024 miniseries Lady In The Lake, which co-starred Natalie Portman and is based on the murder mystery novel of the same name.