Mikey Madison Says People Get 'Everything' Wrong About Strippers

Mikey Madison spent months training to embody the moves of a real exotic dancer in Sean Baker's Anora.

In the film, which was a Palme d'Or winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival , Madison, 25, plays a Russian-American sex worker and stripper from Brooklyn, who falls in love with the son of a Russian nepo baby, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn). A week after they meet at HQ, the Manhattan strip club Ani works at, they get married and she's introduced to a world of wealth. It's a fairy-tale story — until chaos ensues. After Ivan's parents hear the news that their son married Ani, they immediately fly to America to get the marriage annulled and blame Ivan for bringing shame on their family because they look down on Ani's occupation.

"There's so many societal stigmas that have existed from, I mean, the beginning of time. It's really unfortunate," Madison exclusively told Us Weekly on the red carpet for the New York premiere on Tuesday, October 15. "But I think slowly but surely things are getting better."

Through working on the movie, Madison learned people get "everything" wrong about strippers.

"It's just a job and it's a real job. It's hard work as well," she said.

The Better Things actress continued, "I have so much respect and love for the sex work community and through my research have been able to get to know so many incredible women."

In Madison's preparation for the role, she watched documentaries, read memoirs written by sex workers and spent time with her costars — real-life dancer Luna Sofía Miranda and former dancer Lindsey Normington.

"We spent a lot of time together just talking about the lifestyle and...the day in the life of a stripper," said Miranda, who was also one of Madison's consultants.

Normington, who used to dance but has since retired to focus on her acting career, told Us she thought Madison did an "excellent job" in accurately portraying a stripper.

"She did a ton of research. She did a ton of training. She did so much poll work that a lot of it didn't even make it into the film, but it just is a testament to how seriously she took it," Normington said.

"It can feel like, 'Oh, we have to fulfill this archetype or niche,'" she said about the perception of strippers. "Every type of person does sex work. So, it's just kind of like exploring all the different options."

Neon's Anora hit theaters on Friday, October 18.