At the red-carpet premiere of Neon's newest release Anora, we caught up with lead star Mikey Madison and writr-director Sean Baker to chat about bringing one of the season's buzziest films to life. The project is set in New York’s Brighton Beach and follows a young Russian American exotic dancer as she fights for love and survival.

In the "Me Too" era and with the advent of intimacy coordinators, more importance has rightfully been placed around comfort rather than forcing performers to be in compromising and uncomfortable situations,

Actress 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,

Mikey Madison plays Max, the eldest daughter. Over its five seasons, Better Things allowed Mikey Madison to embody a fleshed-out, unique character in Max. She played the role for six years and truly grew up with the character.

In May, Anora won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival largely thanks to Mikey Madison’s breakout performance as the title character: a sex worker, named Ani, who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch.

Mikey Madison stars in "Anora" as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who spontaneously marries the son of a Russian oligarch.

Mikey Madison has been praised for her performance in Anora, and there's a good chance she'll receive an Oscar nomination for multiple reasons.