Mikey Madison's life hasn't changed yet – but when the world sees “Anora,” it will

In May, Anora won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, largely thanks to Mikey Madison's breakthrough performance as the title character: a sex worker named Ani who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch. But Madison says her life hasn't been turned upside down yet. “The biggest change is getting this puppy,” she says, nodding toward the five-month-old rescue Chihuahua curled up on her lap. She adopted Jam in June and has spent most of her time since then taking him to puppy training classes and helping him get along with her cat, Biscuit.

That will definitely change when Anora hits theaters on October 18th. Madison, 25, has been acting for years: She played Pamela Adlon's brash daughter Max in the FX cult comedy Better things and came to a brutal, fiery end in both Quentin Tarantino films Once upon a time…in Hollywood and 2022 Scream. But Sean Baker's dizzying slice-of-life film introduces Madison as a major talent as a film host. Ani's tough exterior hides a sweetness so guileless that it's impossible not to be in love with her.

Get dressed Miu Miu; Shoes from Ms. LA; Bra from Fleur du Mal; Stockings from Hawk; Jewelry from Harry Winston.Photo by Nick Riley Bentham; Styled by Ronnie Hart.

Madison met Baker after seeing her play a fugitive Manson Family follower Once upon a time… Over coffee, he suggested a vague idea for his next film and told her that if she liked it, he would write it for her. Madison had never gotten a role without an audition before. She threw herself into the transformation by learning Russian, perfecting her Brighton Beach accent, visiting strip clubs and indulging in endless dance training sessions that often left her bruised. She has twisted her ankle more than once while walking around in Ani's sky-high heels and has a scar on her stomach from a fight scene in which she was pushed into a table.

“I feel very different from them personally and physically in every way, but I have some sympathy for their hope,” she says. “It felt like I was constantly using so much energy to get to the places she was.”

Get dressed Tom Ford; Tights from Hawk; Jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels.Photo by Nick Riley Bentham; Styled by Ronnie Hart.

Baker enjoys playing non-actors in his films and encourages improvisation, so Madison appeared alongside real exotic dancers. She filmed more than a dozen lap dance scenes in which she approached men she had just met. “I’m not the only one who’s naked,” she says. “I looked left and right and other women are topless and we're all looking at each other. I felt so comfortable. I could have walked around naked on set – and I’m not like that in my real life.”

In real life, the Los Angeles native leads with gentleness, which is often at odds with the city's atmosphere. “Someone will honk at me or give me the finger, and maybe that's bad, but sometimes it makes me cry,” she says.

Sweater from Bottega Veneta; Shoes from Paris Texas, Tights from Calzedonia; Jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels. Everywhere: hair products from Oribe; Nail polish from Chanel Le Vernis.Photo by Nick Riley Bentham; Styled by Ronnie Hart.

Her own personality does not resemble the characters she has played, least of all Ani. Still, she couldn't let Ani go for a while. “I wanted to get acrylic nails again,” says Madison. “So a month or two after that, I still had pretty long nails.”

Now, at the start of what will likely be a dizzying rise, Madison is reading scripts and looking for her next role. She would love another experience as collaborative as the one with Baker, but knows her way around these types of films Anora are rare. And maybe it's a character a little closer to home. “It's funny how I ended up in the strange situation of playing these antagonistic characters,” she says. “I would love to play a character similar to me one day.”

HAIR, CANDICE BIRNS; MAKEUP, LISA STOREY; MANICURE, ALEX JACHNO. MANUFACTURED ON SITE BY PORTFOLIO ONE. For details, visit VF.COM/CREDITS.