Mikey Madison is very close to her father and turns to him for support in various aspects of her life. During a recent appearance on the TV show The View, the actress shared that she requested her dad’s help to set up a stripper pole in her house. Her reason for this unusual request was to practice for her part in the movie Anora.
Anora is a film that has received nods for six prestigious Academy Awards. In the movie, Madison portrays Anora, a high-end sex worker who ties the knot with the son of a wealthy Russian businessman.
Madison explained during her chat at the Hot Topics table on the show that she leaned on her father’s assistance to get into character for her role. This involved him putting up a stripper pole in their home for her to practice on.
“My dad is just — he’s kind of like my personal handyman. When something breaks or I need him to help with something, I will call him,” she told the co-hosts. “I was on location filming at the time and I ordered a pole because I realized how difficult dancing [was]. It’s really hard.”
“So I ordered one and I asked my dad, I was like, ‘If you could pick it up and install it in my house,’” she continued. “My dad is so supportive. He would want me to do anything that would make me happy. So he honestly didn’t really question it.”
After ordering the pole online, Madison’s father had to pick it up at the manufacturer, “which was a professional pole-making place in Los Angeles.”
Luckily for Madison, the awkward request wasn’t for nothing as Anora is currently nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Looking back on getting the role, Madison said she was “shocked” that director Sean Baker decided to cast her after seeing her in Scream (2022).
“I think I had to kind of get over a lot of my imposter syndrome to get to a place where I was like, ‘Oh, someone wants to collaborate with me on this?’ Especially an auteur like Sean who has made so many incredible films that I love,” she said. “So I was very excited.”
However, Madison admitted that she was also “nervous.”
“I didn’t want to let him down,” she said. “I wanted to do the best possible job I could do and also for the sake of the character. She’s a sex worker, too, and so I really wanted to try and represent that community as best as I possibly can.”
The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
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