Mikey Madison: 5 Things to Know About the Oscar-Winning Actress & ‘Anora’ Star

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Image Credit: Disney Mikey Madison is quickly cementing herself as one of Hollywood’s most exciting young talents. After years of standout performances in indie films and acclaimed TV roles, the 26-year-old won Best Actress at the 2025 Oscars for her powerful turn in Sean Baker’s Anora. With her name now firmly in the spotlight, she’s also rumored to be in talks for the much-speculated Social Network Part II.

Unfamiliar with Mikey Madison? Don’t worry, HollywoodLife has got you covered with five key facts to know about Mikey below.

Mikey Was a Competitive Horseback Rider Mikey was involved in a much different career before acting. While growing up in Los Angeles, Mikey was pursuing competitive horseback riding. But once she turned 15, that changed. “All of a sudden, I became really interested in this,” she told Vulture in April 2019 when asked about her origins in acting. “I’m not really sure what sparked that in my head, but it did. My dad’s a big film buff, so I think I acquired some of those traits.” Mikey also explained that while no one in her family was involving in acting, she “met the right people along the way and got really lucky.”

She Has 4 Siblings Mikey comes from a big family. “I have two older sisters who are in their 30s, a twin brother, and another brother,” she told InStyle in November 2016. “So right now I’m living with two teenage boys at home. Me and my brothers all have different personalities and we definitely clash over living together in a small space,” the actress added. One of Mikey’s sisters is married to a film writer, which, according to Women’s Wear Daily, helped inspire her to pursue acting.

She Made Her Acting Debut in 2013 Mikey’s very first acting role was in the 2013 short film Retirement, according to her IMDb page. The California native starred in her first feature film, Liza, Liza, Skies are Grey, in 2015. Her next film roles were 2018’s Monster and Nostalgia. Then, Mikey snagged a role in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood opposite Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margaret Qualley, Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, and more stars. She played Sadie, a follower of the deadly Manson family. Mikey also voiced Candi the Barista in the animated The Addams Family movie. On television, she’s starred in FX’s Better Things (more on that below) and appeared on two episodes of Imposters on Bravo.

She Starred in ‘Better Things’ for Five Seasons One of Mikey’s breakout roles was playing Max Fox, the fiery and complex daughter of Pamela Adlon’s character, Sam, on FX’s critically acclaimed series Better Things. Mikey was part of the main cast from the show’s debut in 2016 through its fifth and final season, which premiered on February 28, 2022. The series also starred Hannah Alligood, Olivia Edward, and Celia Imrie.

In an interview with InStyle, Mikey opened up about her connection to Max: “I definitely gravitate toward characters that have a lot of integrity, and it’s so important to be working on shows that tell great stories,” she said. “I think you have to be a little in love with the character you’re playing because that way you can’t judge the decisions they make—and that’s certainly the case with Max.”

She Joined the ‘Scream’ Franchise Mikey made a chilling impression when she joined the Scream franchise as Amber Freeman in Scream 5. A longtime fan of the horror genre, she told The Movie Times that she “was a big fan” of the original Scream film and was immediately drawn to the project. “One of the pitches that the directors talked to me about is that they were trying to make it feel like the original,” she explained. “I just loved talking to them. I had good chemistry with them right away. I was attracted to it right from the beginning.”

She starred alongside fellow newcomers Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, and Dylan Minnette.