In a night brimming with glamour and surprises, the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards delivered one of its most electrifying moments when Mikey Madison, the 26-year-old star of Sean Baker’s gritty drama Anora, took home the Best Actress trophy in a category stacked with industry heavyweights. The win, considered an underdog triumph by pundits, was eclipsed only by Madison’s impassioned acceptance speech, in which she dedicated the award to sex workers worldwide and pledged her lifelong allyship to their fight for dignity and rights. “This is for every person who’s been told their story doesn’t matter,” Madison declared, clutching her trophy. “To the sex workers who trusted me with their truths—I’ll always be an ally. Always.”
The emotional crescendo of the evening, Madison’s victory marks a watershed moment for independent cinema and for onscreen representation of marginalized communities. Her portrayal of Anora, a young sex worker navigating love, survival, and systemic exploitation in Brooklyn’s underground economy, has been hailed as a career-defining performance—raw, unflinching, and deeply humanizing. But it was her vocal advocacy offscreen, amplifying the voices of sex workers both during and after the film’s production, that transformed her BAFTA moment into a cultural reckoning.
The Role of a Lifetime: Anora’s Unlikely Journey to the Spotlight
Anora, directed by Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket), follows its titular character (Madison) as she balances transactional relationships with clients, a burgeoning romance with a sheltered college student (played by newcomer Jaylin Webb), and the looming threat of police crackdowns. The film, shot on 16mm with a cast blending professional actors and non-professionals from New York’s sex work community, has been praised for its empathetic lens and refusal to sensationalize its subject matter.
Madison, best known for her role as the fiery Manson family acolyte in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, underwent a radical transformation for the part. She spent months embedded in Brooklyn’s harm reduction networks, collaborating with sex worker-led organizations like SWOP (Sex Workers Outreach Project) and listening to firsthand accounts of exploitation, resilience, and joy. “I didn’t want to ‘play’ a sex worker,” Madison explained in a post-ceremony press conference. “I wanted to honor the complexity of their lives. That meant centering their voices in every decision—from the script to the costumes.”
Her preparation included shadowing a veteran sex worker (credited as a co-producer) during outreach shifts, attending advocacy meetings, and mastering the Brooklyn-tinged vernacular of her character. “Mikey didn’t just research the role—she lived it,” Baker said. “Her commitment to authenticity wasn’t about mimicry; it was about accountability.”
A Speech That Shook the Room
When Madison’s name was announced as the Best Actress winner, the audience erupted in cheers, though her competitors—including Oscar-winner Emma Stone (Poor Things) and Carey Mulligan (Maestro)—greeted the upset with gracious applause. Clad in a custom crimson gown adorned with embroidered roses (a nod to the film’s themes of beauty and thorns), Madison took the stage with visible emotion, pausing to steady herself before addressing the crowd.
“I’m standing here because of the courage of people who are rarely given a microphone,” she began. “Anora isn’t a victim or a saint—she’s a fighter. And so are the countless sex workers who shared their stories with me. This award is theirs as much as mine.”
Madison then issued a pointed call to action, urging lawmakers and audiences alike to confront the stigma and criminalization facing sex workers. “To the politicians who use our bodies as talking points: Listen to us. To the audiences who’ve judged without understanding: See us. And to every sex worker watching tonight—you are not alone. I’ll always be in your corner.”
The speech concluded with Madison raising her BAFTA trophy alongside a red handkerchief, a symbol of solidarity with sex worker rights movements. The gesture drew immediate praise on social media, with activists and allies hailing it as a rare instance of Hollywood using its platform to uplift—rather than exploit—marginalized voices.
The Road to Allyship: Madison’s Offscreen Advocacy
Long before Anora premiered at Cannes (where it won the Palme d’Or), Madison had been quietly involved in sex worker advocacy. During filming, she insisted on deferring to consultants from the community on sensitive scenes, including one depicting a police raid. “If something felt exploitative or inaccurate, we reshaped it,” said Lola, a sex worker and consultant on the film who chose to use a pseudonym for safety. “Mikey treated us as collaborators, not props. That’s unheard of in this industry.”
Madison’s allyship extended beyond production. She donated her entire salary from Anora to organizations providing legal aid, healthcare, and housing for sex workers, and she has used her press tour to spotlight legislative battles, such as the decriminalization efforts in New York and California. “Allyship isn’t a hashtag or a press release,” Madison told Variety last month. “It’s showing up, shutting up, and passing the mic.”
Her stance hasn’t been without backlash. Conservative media outlets have criticized the film as “glamorizing exploitation,” while some industry insiders privately grumbled about her “political” acceptance speech. Madison remains undeterred. “If telling the truth is political, then guilty as charged,” she fired back during the BAFTA press Q&A.
Industry Reactions: Praise and Polarization
The response to Madison’s win has been as polarized as the film’s subject matter. Fellow nominees like Emma Stone and Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) publicly applauded her performance, with Stone calling it “a masterclass in empathy.” Actresses Jameela Jamil and Amandla Stenberg took to social media to celebrate the win as a triumph for underrepresented stories.
However, not all reactions were celebratory. A segment of viewers criticized BAFTA for “rewarding degeneracy,” while others accused Madison of virtue signaling. “This is why people hate Hollywood,” read one viral tweet. “They’d rather glorify hookers than real heroes.”
Sex worker advocacy groups swiftly countered the backlash. “Mikey’s win isn’t about glorification—it’s about visibility,” said Alex Andrews of SWOP Behind Bars. “When you dehumanize sex workers, you make it easier to abuse them. Films like Anora remind the world that we’re human beings with dreams, fears, and rights.”
The Ripple Effect: What’s Next for Madison and Anora?
With BAFTA momentum behind her, Madison is now a frontrunner for the Oscars, though she remains characteristically grounded. “Awards are fleeting,” she said. “The real victory is knowing this film has sparked conversations that save lives.”
Anora’s impact is already measurable. Following its UK release, donations to sex worker mutual aid funds spiked by 300%, and the film’s script has been incorporated into university curricula on gender studies and labor rights. Meanwhile, Madison is leveraging her platform to produce a documentary series profiling sex worker activists, set to premiere later this year.
As for her acting career, Madison hints at a deliberate shift toward socially conscious projects. “I want to tell stories that challenge power structures,” she said. “If that makes me ‘controversial,’ so be it.”
A New Blueprint for Hollywood Allyship
Mikey Madison’s BAFTA win transcends individual accolades—it signals a shifting paradigm in how Hollywood engages with marginalized communities. By ceding authority to those with lived experience, Anora avoids the trappings of “poverty porn” that plague many socially conscious films. Instead, it offers a blueprint for ethical storytelling: one rooted in collaboration, respect, and reparative justice.
In her final words backstage, Madison left no ambiguity about her mission: “This isn’t a moment. It’s a movement. And we’re just getting started.”
For an industry often accused of performative activism, Madison’s unyielding allyship offers a provocative question: What if awards season became a season of accountability? If her trajectory is any indication, the answer might just rewrite the rules of storytelling itself.