Anora is one of the most celebrated films of the year, and it’s making a lot of noise going into awards season as well.
In particular, Mikey Madison — who you probably already knew from her star turns in Better Things and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood — is a surefire bet for a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars for her performance as the titular character. Hell, she could win the whole damn prize.
And if she does, the Oscar would be more than deserved. Mikey’s performance is one of the year’s best, and it’s clearly a role that was both physically and emotionally demanding.
Mikey’s performance also involved several sequences — including sex scenes with her costar Mark Eydelshteyn — that required varying amounts of nudity.
In an interview with Pamela Anderson for Variety, Mikey revealed that she was offered the opportunity to work with an intimacy coordinator while shooting, but she turned it down — and she also explained the thinking behind her decision.
“For our film, it was a choice that I made,” Mikey told Pamela. “The filmmakers offered me, if I wanted, an intimacy coordinator.”
Ultimately, Mikey and Mark decided mutually that using an intimacy coordinator for their scenes was unnecessary. “[We] decided it would be best to just keep it small,” she said.
Mikey also cited the reputation and filmography of Anora director Sean Baker as a reason why she decided to forego working with an intimacy coordinator.
“My character is a sex worker, and I had seen Sean’s films and know his dedication to authenticity,” she told Pamela. “I was ready for it.”
“As an actress, I approached it as a job.”
