• 2 weeks ago
Mikey Madison hopes sex workers will feel seen and acknowledged when they watch "Anora" in theaters. Our Women in Hollywood honoree shares the advice she’d give her younger self, the biggest lesson she’s learned in her career, and what she hopes other women see in her performances.

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Transcript
00:00I'm Mikey Madison, and I'm a woman in Hollywood.
00:04The advice that I would give my younger self
00:06when I was just starting out is,
00:09I think that all of the heartbreak
00:13and all the hundreds of hours that you put
00:16into evolving your craft will pay off.
00:19You'll meet incredible, creative people
00:22that you'll be able to make beautiful art with,
00:25and it'll be worth it one day.
00:27So just try to keep going.
00:30The most difficult lesson I learned in my career,
00:34just that you're gonna mess up.
00:36You have to just keep going, push forward,
00:39try to forget about it.
00:40You're gonna have your heart broken a million times.
00:44The first time I saw myself in a character,
00:48I don't know, I think it's a different feeling each time,
00:52but I think the first time I felt really
00:54like I have transformed into someone else
00:57is probably on my last film, Menorah.
01:00With the nails and the hair,
01:02the second I put on a sparkly bikini,
01:05I was like, I felt different.
01:07I was talking different.
01:09My hand motions were different, so I would say that.
01:13When other women see me on screen,
01:15I hope they see the dedication and love
01:19that I put into my characters.
01:21Specifically for my film, Menorah,
01:24I hope that sex workers see this film
01:27and feel seen and acknowledged.
01:29That is my biggest hope.
01:31The Hollywood moment that still amazes me
01:34is I think every day there's something amazing
01:37or beautiful that happens.
01:39And going to film festivals
01:41and watching people's beautiful, independent film
01:43that they put so much love and heart into, that's amazing.
01:48The future of Hollywood is feminine, I would say.
01:51But I think feminine can manifest itself
01:54in so many different ways.
01:56I don't think you have to be born female to be feminine.
02:00Femininity exists in so many different aspects of life,
02:04and I think that it's such a powerful thing in film,
02:07and we all recognize it.

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