Mackie Madison on Lessons Learned from Sean Baker While Filming ‘Anola’

Tuesday is a big night for Madison.

“Are you kidding? This is where I’m from. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and my whole family is coming here to see this movie for the first time. It’s also kind of nerve-wracking,” the actress said as she stood It was revealed outside the iconic Vista Theater in the city’s Los Feliz neighborhood. Madison, 25, has been acting for over a decade and has attended many red carpet premieres during her career, but this time she sat back and watched Anora The first heightened anxiety for her siblings and best friend in the building.

This weekend’s Sean Baker film, released by Neon, marks many firsts for Madison. After earning points on Pamela Adlon better thingsQuentin Tarantino’s once upon a time in hollywood and a reboot in 2022 scream, Anora This is her first starring role in a feature film, the first time she has appeared naked on screen, and the first time she has participated in a film that won the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s highest honor. Oh, and there’s Oscar buzz now, too.

Anora Madison plays a stripper and sex worker, better known as Anne, whose life is turned upside down when she meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Co-starring Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov, Darya Ekamasova and Lindsey Normington. Baker directed from a script he wrote himself, with Madison’s starring role in mind from the beginning.

“He’s truly one of the most incredible people I’ve ever worked with,” Madison said of Baker. “He gave me the freedom and the power to build this character from the ground up and present it to him. We were so in tune with each other’s sensibilities on how to envision the film, and he welcomed me as his valued collaborator. I had previously come from Wasn’t asked to do this and never had the opportunity.

Another first. Working with Baker, Baker produced a series of critically acclaimed films Florida Project arrive Tangerinethere will be a new lesson every day, Madison said. But one thing stood out: “He really made it clear that he cared about my ideas and what I brought to the film. The most important thing I learned from him was that my perspective and my voice mattered.

Baker has a history of discovering new talent or rediscovering existing talent in a new light, whether it’s Madison or Anora Or Simon Rex in his last film, red rocket. “It comes down to the ‘it factor,'” Baker told us hollywood reporter When asked to explain the special sauce. “There’s something that attracts you. It can be a physical feature or a combination of personality traits. You just see someone and you immediately know that you want to see more of them, or that they deserve to be on the big screen.

He and his producing team, Samantha Quan and Alex Coco, recall seeing her impressive back-to-back turns in “Madison.” once Upon a time and scream. “I was shocked,” Baker recalled. “The last 15 minutes once upon a time in hollywood She stole scenes from Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, and I just thought, “We have to focus on her.” And then we saw Scream opening weekend, As we sat in the theater we decided this was our Anora. As soon as we left the theater we called her agent.