At the 78th BAFTA Awards, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall read her name aloud from the golden envelope in front of Hollywood’s most talented people, almost as shocked as viewers did last night.
The unpredictably successful star of the $6 million independent film Anora had her monumental “star is born” moment as she stunned the nominees in a massive defeat to Demi Moore, 62, her main rival. In this year’s awards season, Moore had been viewed as the frontrunner after her victories at both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, which was a significant surprise.
After missing out on the EE Rising Star award – in favour of Alien: Romulus actor David Jonsson, 31 – it looked incredibly likely Madison’s chance for recognition on stage had passed. But the star’s meteoric rise should not have been understated.
The relatively unknown 25-year-old is the only person to have gone from Scream villain to Oscar nominee in three short years. Madison took to the microphone while wearing a custom white bustier Prada gown and glittering Tiffany necklace, and delivered an unscripted, heartfelt speech that reflected why she had so effortlessly won over Screenland.
“I probably should have listened to my publicist and wrote a speech or something”, she humbly said, thanking her fellow cast members and crew, including co-star Yuri Borisov, for making her “dreams come true”.
After playing the role of lap dancer Ani, Madison recognized the sex worker community with applause that flooded the room. “I will always be a friend and an ally, and I implore others to do the same”, she said.
It was Ani’s part, whose overt romance with the son of a Russian billionaire won over voters, that ultimately won her over Moore and other nominees, including internationally acclaimed actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, 57, and awards stalwart Saoirse Ronan, 30.
Madison expressed her gratitude for her mother, whom she dubbed her “favourite scene partner” and supportive chauffeur, for having taken her to “literally hundreds of auditions” over the last decade.
Yet not a single actor makes up Madison’s family tree. Her father has a background in schizophrenics, while her mother works with children and her father, who is both psychologists, work with children. The pair have passed down a unique perspective, with Madison, real name Mikaela Madison Rosberg, crediting them for helping her empathise and stay in touch with her emotions.
Perhaps it was this deep understanding of people that gave her a secret edge, allowing her to impressively exceed the credentials of her role models, filmmaker Sofia Coppola, a three-time BAFTA nominee, and actress Pamela Adlon, who has never made the shortlist.
Before Anora, Madison’s name was known to very few. She began acting professionally in 2016 when she signed with Max Fox for the comedy series Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood in 2019. However, Sean Baker, an American writer and director, who wrote the role of Ani specifically for her, was drawn to her charisma in front of the camera.
“She’s so unique”, he told the BBC. “She’s quite reserved. But then suddenly, she can explode like no other person I’ve ever seen, no other actor I’ve ever seen”.
A meeting with Baker, who had agreed to play the lead role in the film Anora, led to Madison’s role in the fifth installment of the Scream horror franchise in 2024.
With no social media presence and a “in her own little world,” she asserted to GQ last month that “lots of people have no idea who I am” and that she actively does little to address this. This lonesome quality, Madison’s lonesome personality suggests to her in the most fundamental way, as she was once too shy to speak in front of her peers. Just painfully shy, I thought. I couldn’t talk to anyone”, the former horseback rider told Interview Magazine. “Going up in front of]the] class, I would have to mentally prepare myself to raise my hand”.
One of four siblings, Madison grew up a quiet equestrian and told W Magazine: “I was always the weird horse girl… My twin brother would pretend that we weren’t siblings”. But with age, and a move to Los Angeles, Madison sparked an interest in acting, jointly inspired by the Hunger Games films and her older sister’s partner, who is a writer.
Madison got tunnel vision and began acting in low-budget movies until she booked Better Things in 2016 after her mother had already signed her up for her first acting class. She told The Cut that the drama was “my introduction to acting, my college, my film school, really everything”.
She has barely been able to process her own sudden rise and has lived a fairytale life, being interviewed by Pamela Anderson as part of Variety’s iconic Actors on Actors series, and sitting on Graham Norton’s sofa alongside 81-year-old actor Robert De Niro, who she blames for her not-quite-prepared BAFTA’s speech.
She admitted coming off the red carpet last night, calling herself “disassociated but incredibly honoured” following the bombshell win, “I wish I had made a better speech, Robert De Niro told me on a talk show now to prepare a speech, so I thought it best to listen to him.”
Speaking to a swarm of cameras, Madison went on: “It is really surreal. I’m not sure if I’ll ever realize how incredible it was to be sat in a room like that, with people who had sparked my love of acting and film.
Madison, who was also chosen for Best Casting, joined her for the ceremony in her modest and unpretentious manner to declare that she would be celebrating her win over her fellow movie stars, Anora, and the wider success of the project. “… And I will probably call my mum again”, she proudly added.
Source: Mirror
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