Mikey Madison wins Best Actress Oscar for ‘Anora’ over favorite Demi Moore
Mikey Madison won Best Actress for Anora at Sunday's Oscars.
Madison, who was in second place in the odds, beat frontrunner Demi Moore (The Substance), Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), and Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) for the prize.
More from GoldDerby
Her win was one of Anora's five of the night. The Neon film also won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing -- all of which were won by Sean Baker. Its only loss was Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov. Madison plays the film's title character, a Brooklyn sex worker who embarks on a whirlwind romance with the son of a Russian oligarch and has her life turned upside down.
“This is very surreal,” Madison said during her acceptance speech. “I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me, so to be here, standing in this room today is really incredible.”
She added, “I just want to recognize and honor the sex worker community. Yes. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this incredible experience.”
Madison's win was not unexpected but she remained in second place in the odds behind Moore. The Substance star became the Oscar frontrunner in January after her win at the Golden Globe Awards and her subsequent acceptance speech. Moore bolstered her case with wins from the Critics Choice Awards and other regional critics groups. Her streak ended when Madison, the early season favorite, took home the BAFTA. However, Moore rebounded a week later by scoring the Screen Actors Guild Award. This is the third year in a row that the industry precursors split in the category. But this year's race was even more of a nail-biter with the wild card in Torres, who won the drama Globe but was not nominated at any other precursor, making the Oscars the first time Torres faced any of her fellow nominees.
SEE The complete list of Oscar winners
Two years ago, the SAG winner, Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), beat the BAFTA winner, Cate Blanchett (Tár), but last year, BAFTA champ Emma Stone (Poor Things) edged out SAG champ Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon). What is the common link between the results? The winner hailed from the stronger film — Everything Everywhere won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and Poor Things nabbed four. Tár and Killers of the Flower Moon were both shut out.
Anora proved formidable in the industry, having claimed the Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild of America Awards to reassert itself as the Best Picture frontrunner, though it did get blanked at SAG.
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
