Mikey Madison, born Mikaela Madison Rosberg, is that this yr’s breakout star. Madison first gained notoriety for her position because the moody Max within the FX comedy sequence “Higher Issues.” She then broke into the mainstream when she gave a memorable efficiency starring alongside Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Margot Robbie in director Quentin Tarantino’s “As soon as Upon a Time … in Hollywood” as Sadie.

In 2024, Madison starred in Sean Baker’s “Anora,” wherein she performed a decided stripper from New York Metropolis who will get caught up in a whirlwind romance with the son of a Russian oligarch. The highly-acclaimed movie fully swept on the 2025 Oscars – for which we made a worst-dressed listing – profitable a complete of 5 awards and granting Madison her first win for finest actress.

With this large win below her belt, Madison’s profession is undoubtedly on the rise. Her distinctive aptitude, pure expertise and affinity for polarizing characters has captured the eye of audiences and trade professionals alike, main everybody to need to know extra about this fascinating new star. Let’s dive into the untold fact of Mikey Madison.

Mikey Madison is on the listing of celebrities you could have had no thought have a twin! She grew up the kid of two psychologists in California’s San Fernando Valley. She is one in all 5 siblings; two brothers, together with her twin, Miles, and two sisters. Miles is reportedly a College of California at Berkeley alum that performed on the varsity’s lacrosse workforce, however not a lot else is understood about him. Nonetheless, the web has already grow to be captivated by his attractiveness and purple hair.

Although she now considers Miles her “closest pal,” as she advised USA In the present day, issues have been totally different once they have been at school. “My twin brother would fake that we weren’t siblings. Individuals can be like, on the final day of college, like, ‘Oh, Miles, why are you stepping into Mikaela’s automotive along with her?’ He is like, ‘Oh, that is my sister!” she recalled laughing to W journal. “He has since apologized.”

Today, Miles retains a reasonably lowkey profile, however he at all times helps his twin sister in her endeavors. In her interview with USA In the present day, Madison admitted that out of everybody in her household, she was most involved with Miles’ response to her raunchy efficiency in “Anora.” Fortunately, he was simply as blown away as the remainder of us. “He was speechless when he noticed it for the primary time,” she gushed. “He was like, ‘Mikey, I did not see you in any respect; I simply noticed the character.’ Coming from him, that was actually particular to listen to.”

Mikey Madison comes from a household of equestrians. In 2024, Madison advised Esquire that each her mom and grandmother had ridden horses, so she too was already driving “earlier than [she] might stroll.” Naturally, Madison completely fell in love with the game. Actually, till she was a teen, Madison had little interest in performing in any respect. As a substitute, her dream was to grow to be a driving teacher. However, finally, Madison would start to yearn for performing.

“I liked the ritual of attending to the barn and taking good care of my horse, but it surely’s form of an isolating sport,” Madison advised The Lower. “I felt known as in one other course.” At 14, her mom signed her up for an performing class. Madison was driving and performing for some time earlier than finally letting horseback driving go — for good. Although it was a “painful” determination, she has no regrets.

With the assistance of her new supervisor, Madison would finally e book “Higher Issues,” which ran for 5 seasons, and her performing profession would formally start. She nonetheless rides horses on occasion. “I might prefer to get again into it extra,” Madison expressed to Vogue. “Which can be an excuse to go purchase a brand new driving wardrobe, which might be thrilling.”

After seeing Mikey Madison’s performances in “As soon as Upon a Time … In Hollywood” and “Scream,” director and author Sean Baker instantly contacted her agent for a gathering. The director discovered himself significantly enthusiastic about Madison’s gritty and intense efficiency as Ghostface. He was impressed proper then and there to jot down her as his Ani. “I did not have a phrase on paper but. I began writing after she accepted,” Baker advised Enterprise Insider. A yr later, they have been on set filming — no audition required.

One of many important causes Baker selected Madison for the position was due to her willingness to completely shed any hint of self-importance when portraying a personality. To ensure that Ani to come back to life, Madison wanted to faucet into each facet of the character’s character — together with her brashness and her flaws. “He advised me that … I used to be open to exploring these unusual components of myself that are not engaging,” Madison recalled to Deadline. “I wasn’t afraid of what I used to be going to appear like on display screen and so I feel that was one thing that him.”

General, engaged on this movie with Baker was a life-changing expertise for the actor. “It is actually particular. I’ve by no means had a director need to write a movie for me earlier than,” Madison advised Vogue.

When the chance arrived to work with Sean Baker, Mikey Madison was completely floored. She was a very long time fan of his work, citing “Tangerine” and “The Florida Venture” as a few of her favourite movies. Upon assembly the director, agreeing to play “Anora” — with out even first seeing a script — was an apparent selection. “I’ve dreamed of working with a filmmaker like [Baker] for my complete profession as an actress,” she advised Enterprise Insider. When “Anora” turned a serious hit, Madison’s dream got here true in methods she could not have imagined.

This theatrical collaboration proved to be simply as fulfilling for Baker because it was for Madison. Up till 2024, the director had gone nearly unrecognized by the Academy Awards, regardless of his success within the indie movie world. Because of Madison’s excellent efficiency in “Anora” and his inventive storytelling, he was instantly thrown into the mainstream dialog, incomes 4 Oscars in 2025 for finest image, directing, authentic screenplay, and movie modifying. Nonetheless, Madison continues to gush about Baker at any time when she will, totally crediting his genius for the movie’s success. “Sean is an incredible filmmaker,” she stated in an interview with Newsweek. “I feel he is one in all a sort, and top-of-the-line working filmmakers at present.”

When getting ready for the position of Ani, Mikey Madison was decided to be as respectful and genuine in her interpretation of intercourse work as potential. Andrea Werhun, the writer of “Fashionable Whore: A Memoir,” served as a advisor on the movie and labored intently with Madison and quite a few actual intercourse employees to make the efficiency as plausible as potential. Werhun supplied Madison and the dancers with helpful insights into the day by day struggles and realities of working in a strip membership, equivalent to “locker-room chatter, issues that you just say to somebody, what meals she brings as her lunch to eat within the break room, little issues like that,” Madison revealed to Deadline. Madison’s father even put in her personal pole for her at house for dance observe. Discuss dedication!

Above all, with a view to do Ani and the intercourse employee neighborhood any justice, it was extraordinarily essential for Madison to deal with this portrayal with humanity, decency. and respect. “I actually needed to do these ladies justice; I did not need to allow them to down,” Madison advised USA In the present day.

Madison devoted her 2025 BAFTA — which we additionally made a worst-dressed listing for — win to the intercourse employee neighborhood who impressed “Anora” and thanked the neighborhood once more in her Oscars win for finest actress. “I additionally simply need to once more acknowledge and honor the intercourse employee neighborhood,” she expressed in her speech. “I’ll proceed to assist and be an ally.”

Mikey Madison has a deep love for trend. She is commonly seen strutting the streets of LA strolling her canine, Jam, in designer labels like Mugler and Loewe. She additionally effortlessly instructions a purple carpet. Whether or not it is a timeless floor-length robe or a glowing mini costume, Madison at all times is aware of methods to serve a glance. With the assistance of stylist Jamie Mizrahi, she is rapidly changing into generally known as a trend darling in Hollywood. A few of Madison’s most notable appears embrace her gold, statuesque Bottega garment on the 2025 Golden Globe Awards and her plunging-neckline costume on the “Higher Issues” premiere.

“I’ve at all times liked trend and, once I was youthful, I used to be so experimental with clothes,” she advised Vogue in 2024. “There was a interval only a couple years in the past once I was tremendous into Victorian clothes and I might combine them with fight boots, so it was this grunge look with a really delicate costume.” Madison is wanting ahead to increasing her classic assortment as her type evolves, although she undoubtedly worries about working out of closet area. “I am enthusiastic about experimenting extra since you do not usually get to put on clothes like that in on a regular basis life. I do not actually get to go to events the place you get to be that glamorous on a regular basis. It is actually enjoyable,” she stated.

Filming a uncooked and unfiltered film like “Anora” got here with its challenges. For Mark Eydelshteyn, the Russian actor who performs Ivan, the problem was getting used to a brand new nation, tradition, and other people whereas enjoying a spoiled, goofy oligarch’s son. For Mikey Madison, it was a problem to embody Ani’s brash, seductive nature whereas studying methods to strip, dance, and communicate Russian. However finally, the most important problem was to make each scene really feel as sensible as potential. To realize this, director Sean Baker welcomed improvisation at any time when the actors felt it was needed, to make sure that no scene felt too polished.

For instance, Baker revealed to Letterboxd that earlier than filming, there was a full-length screenplay already written, however he needed Madison to improvise — like the various actors who improvised their finest scenes — the opening sequence. In these first jiffy, we meet Ani whereas she’s working on the membership. “We’re organising this world in order to point out you intercourse work is actual work. That is actual,” Baker emphasised. As she chats along with her coworkers, she scans the group for her subsequent shopper. Madison recalled being shot guerilla-style as she labored her manner across the set, music blasting, as in the event that they have been actually in an lively membership. The purpose was to immerse herself totally so she might ship her traces as naturally as potential.

“I feel that in a whole lot of conditions, like Ani is somebody who would not actually assume earlier than she speaks, she simply says one thing. And so for me, I wanted to not give it some thought an excessive amount of and simply really feel regardless of the character is feeling and simply say it,” Madison advised Teen Vogue.

Although it looks like Mikey Madison is destined to be the subsequent it-girl, there’s one place we can’t see her — and that is on social media. Regardless of her rising movie star, Madison has deleted all of her social media accounts (Fb, X, previously generally known as Twitter, Instagram — you identify it) and has no plans to return.

In 2018, she admitted that she struggled with evaluating herself to different ladies she noticed on-line. “I only in the near past joined Instagram and there was a pair moments, the week of becoming a member of Instagram. The place I used to be changing into very jealous of different ladies,” she advised C-Heads. “Why do not I appear like that, why is not my life like this and jealous of different individuals’s success. Then I simply took a step again, and was like, ‘I should be completely happy for these ladies.'”

Ultimately, Madison would delete her Instagram and refuse to make use of social media altogether, as she stated it felt inauthentic to who she is. She nonetheless typically feels FOMO, however the strain to carry out for an internet viewers continues to be too intense for Madison. “I am a really delicate individual, so I feel it is also protecting to not be on-line,” Madison advised Bustle. “I do not assume you are alleged to be studying the issues individuals are saying about you … I do know myself, and I feel retaining myself ignorant to that a part of the Web might be more healthy for me.”

Off-camera, Mikey Madison is as candy as might be. In her interviews, she comes throughout as soft-spoken, eloquent and passionate. Her “Anora” co-stars described her to ETalk as somebody who “actually cares” about others and who “shines … vibrant like a diamond.” However, despite her delicate nature, Madison constantly challenges herself by enjoying villainous or polarizing characters.

As a self proclaimed “good lady,” these roles permit Madison to discover life she in any other case would not have. She relishes in blurring the traces between villain and sufferer. It is a part of why she was drawn to working with Sean Baker within the first place. “These are the characters that I like to play: No person is simply good. No person is simply unhealthy. It is someplace in between,” Madison revealed to Enterprise Insider. For Madison, it is all about portraying the intensities and the complexities of human nature.

From teenage assassin to psychopath — nothing is off limits for Madison. As talked about beforehand, she performed a Manson Household cult member in controversial director Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 movie “As soon as Upon a Time … In Hollywood.” Then, in 2022, she performed Amber Freeman, the ruthless Ghostface assassin within the fashionable remake of “Scream.” Her efficiency was extremely praised as one of the crucial memorable killers within the sequence. “I do not know the way I acquired right into a pocket of enjoying antagonistic characters, however I did. It is enjoyable,” Madison advised Esquire. “I’ve by no means damaged the principles or carried out unhealthy issues, and it is so fascinating to play characters who’ve, as a result of I really feel like I have been capable of expertise it with this security internet beneath me.”