It was the moment everyone started whispering in the back of the theater at Cannes. By the time the lights came up and the 97th Academy Awards rolled around in 2025, those whispers had turned into a full-blown cultural debate. Mikey Madison, the 25-year-old who spent years playing the moody daughter on Better Things, had suddenly become the most talked-about woman in Hollywood. Why? Because of the mikey madison sexy scene—or rather, the dozens of them—that define her Oscar-winning turn in Sean Baker’s Anora.
Honestly, if you’re looking for a typical "sexy" movie moment, you’re looking at the wrong film. People hear "sex worker rom-com" and they expect something polished and glossy. They expect Pretty Woman. But what Madison and Baker delivered was something much more frantic, sweaty, and, at times, incredibly awkward.
The Reality of the Anora Sex Scenes
The "sexy" scenes in Anora (or Ani, as she’s called) aren't there to be erotic in the way a 90s thriller might be. They are work. Madison plays a strip club performer in Brighton Beach who meets Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch. The early part of the film is a blitz of lap dances, hotel room trysts, and chaotic intimacy.
Basically, the film uses nudity as a costume. Madison herself has said that playing Ani made her feel like the nudity was just another layer of the character’s armor. It’s a job. When she’s on screen with Mark Eydelshteyn (who plays Ivan), the sex is fast, loud, and feels like a sugar high. It’s only when the clothes stay on at the very end of the movie that Madison says she felt truly "naked" and vulnerable.
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How They Actually Filmed It
If you think these scenes were romantic to film, think again. During the 2025 awards circuit, Madison and Eydelshteyn were pretty open about the "hospital-like" atmosphere of the set.
- The Blocking: Sean Baker and his wife, producer Samantha Quan, actually blocked out the positions while fully clothed to show the actors how it would look in the frame.
- The Gear: Eydelshteyn joked about wearing a "cardboard shield" and using pads between them so their lower bodies didn't even touch.
- The Intent: These weren't improvised for titillation. Every movement was choreographed to show the power dynamic between a girl trying to secure her future and a boy who thinks he’s in a video game.
Why the Mikey Madison Sexy Scene Discourse Sparked a Backlash
Success always brings out the critics, and Madison’s Best Actress win over veterans like Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres caused a bit of a stir on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Some users tried to dismiss her performance by saying she "opened her legs for an Oscar."
That’s a pretty gross way to look at a performance that required Madison to learn Russian, train for months on a stripper pole (her dad even installed one in her house so she could practice), and carry a two-hour-plus movie on her shoulders. The nudity in Anora isn't a shortcut; it's the core of the character's struggle for agency.
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Pamela Anderson, during a Variety "Actors on Actors" session, actually got emotional talking to Madison about it. Anderson, who knows a thing or two about being scrutinized for her body, said she felt protective of Mikey because the life of a sex worker—even a fictional one—is "scary."
Beyond Anora: A Career Built on Intensity
Before the mikey madison sexy scene became a Google search staple, Madison was already making a name for herself as the girl who could play "unhinged" better than anyone else her age.
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): She played Susan "Sadie" Atkins. You probably remember her as the Manson follower who gets a can of dog food thrown at her face before being torched by a flamethrower in a swimming pool. Not exactly "sexy," but definitely memorable.
- Scream (2022): As Amber Freeman, she went full psycho-killer. She actually fainted during one scene because she was screaming so hard. It’s this same intensity that she brought to Anora.
- Better Things: For five seasons, she played Max Fox. It was a grounded, naturalistic performance that proved she didn't need stunts or nudity to be compelling.
What’s Next for the Oscar Winner?
Now that she’s the first Gen Z actress to win a Lead Actress Oscar, everyone wants to know what's next. She’s famously private—no social media, no "authentic" Instagram posts, just the work.
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She’s currently set to star in The Masque of the Red Death, directed by Charlie Polinger. It’s a plague-era drama being shot in Budapest where she plays long-lost twins. It sounds about as far away from the neon lights of a Brighton Beach strip club as you can get.
Actionable Insights for Film Fans
If you're watching Madison’s work to understand the hype, don't just focus on the explicit moments. Watch the way her face changes when she realizes the "fairytale" marriage to Ivan is falling apart.
- Watch for the "costume" of nudity: Notice how Ani uses her body as a tool in the first 30 minutes.
- Compare to her "Scream" performance: Look for that same "feral" energy in her eyes when she’s fighting the Russian thugs later in the film.
- Check out "Better Things": If you want to see the range she had before the Oscars, the FX series is the best place to start.
Madison has proven that she isn't afraid of being "exposed" on screen if it serves the story. Whether she’s being set on fire or playing a sex worker, she dives in headfirst. That’s why she has the gold statue, and that’s why she’s going to be around for a very long time.
To truly appreciate her craft, track the evolution of her characters from the sulky Max Fox to the defiant Anora Mikheeva. It's a masterclass in how an actress can transition from child star to a powerhouse lead without losing her edge.