Italian
Mikey Madison, who got her start on the FX series “Better Things,” is among the discoveries of Oscar season with Sean Baker’s “Anora.” As the title character — a Russian American stripper in Brooklyn who allows herself to fall for a client — she is alternately hard-edged and sentimental. Who better to pair her with than a star who worked similar magic this year? Pamela Anderson, in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” plays a Vegas stage performer who, like Anora, dreams of human connection. Anderson, like Madison, began her career on television, with “Baywatch.” In recent years, with the release of a memoir and a documentary about her life, Anderson has been having a renaissance, and Madison, who showed up with a notebook full of questions, was understandably awed.
MIKEY MADISON: How do you feel right now? I felt a little nervous when they called “action.”
PAMELA ANDERSON: Me too — how do you start a conversation about all of this? You must be excited your film is doing so well.
MADISON: I’ve been dreaming my entire career as an actress to be in the place that I am right now. Some of it doesn’t feel real at times.
ANDERSON: When did you start acting?
MADISON: I started acting when I was about 15. “Better Things” lasted for five seasons over the course of seven years. That was my introduction to everything — I really knew nothing about acting. Over those seven years, I was able to dip my feet into the water.
ANDERSON: You don’t really know sometimes when you start the process. I was always very curious about the craft of acting, but I didn’t have to apply myself when I was running around in a bathing suit on “Baywatch.” I was curious about it — I would be sitting on the floor of Samuel French, reading Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill plays. I didn’t know how to get from there to there, but I just had this dream. I always kept it a secret that I could be more than I was doing.
Gia could see the hunger in me as a woman who wanted to express herself; I attribute a lot to her for having that vision. I always tell her, “You saved my life.” Because I would have hated to never get my chance to do something that was meaningful to me. I see that in you too. You worked with Quentin Tarantino, one of my favorite filmmakers, and Sean Baker too. Did you see the script for “Anora”? Did you audition?
Alexi Lubomirski for Variety MADISON: Sean had seen a horror film that I did — “Scream.” He went opening weekend. He was already thinking about the plot for “Anora,” and he cast me in it just from the film. It was the easiest casting process I’ve ever had to go through. I’ve never had to not audition for something before. I had gotten into this pocket of playing very antagonistic characters; I really wanted to play a leading role, and I’m grateful Sean gave me that opportunity.
When did you first read your script?
ANDERSON: I was in my garden at home on Vancouver Island, making pickles.
MADISON: Pickles?
ANDERSON: Really! Pickles. Pickles and jam — I just love my garden. I’m obsessed.
MADISON: Do you grow your own cucumbers?
ANDERSON: I grow my own cucumbers. I went home to remember who I was. That’s when I started taking the makeup off and getting my hands dirty. I didn’t really have representation at the time, but Gia tried to find me through an old agent, and he passed on the movie. Gia didn’t take no for an answer; she found my son Brandon, and Brandon brought me the script, and I read it on my little vegetable farm. I knew the whole movie like a play before I got to Las Vegas.
What was the process like for you?
MADISON: It was a character that felt so far away from home in every single way. It was very intimidating at first; how do I empathize with her? I was like, I just need to start small. I did quite a bit of pole training. I did this stripper boot camp where I was taught how to give lap dances, how to twerk. And I would know everything about her — what cigarettes she smokes, what her school life was like.
ANDERSON: You have to do the work. When I saw “Anora,” I just wanted to grab you out of there and hug you. I’ve had friends in that industry as well, and I could really relate to it. It was so emotional. Did you have an intimacy coordinator? That’s the big thing these days, right?
MADISON: For our film, it was a choice that I made; the filmmakers offered me, if I wanted, an intimacy coordinator. Mark Eydelshteyn, who plays Ivan, and I decided it would be best to just keep it small. My character is a sex worker, and I had seen Sean’s films and know his dedication to authenticity. I was ready for it. As an actress, I approached it as a job.
I wanted to ask about your preparation for “The Last Showgirl.”
Alexi Lubomirski for Variety ANDERSON: I was able to bring a lot of my own personal experience, my long life of dealing with beauty and glamour and aging and reassessing life choices. I got to bring my whole life into this role.
I think the past shouldn’t dictate your future. But looking back, I was always creating characters. And I feel like I know I’ve created a few Halloween costumes. But a lot of the things I went through, I didn’t realize my kids were going through them at the same time. Being a working mom and being in this entertainment world and having your mom be sexualized in some way — I didn’t realize how difficult it was. So I’m not ashamed of my life.
I’m not ashamed of the choices that I made, even though maybe in hindsight I would’ve done things differently. But you need life experience to know that you would’ve done that differently.
MADISON: I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed about. This incredible, amazing life you had made you the person that you are, and that’s why you were able to give the performance you were able to give.
ANDERSON: I’m trying to tell myself that too. And I feel like now I have the freedom to focus on things instead of worrying about a relationship or my family. My kids are grown. I’m free. Now I can play again.
MADISON: The life that we live, it makes us better actors.
ANDERSON: I worked with Greg Butler, who was a choreographer when I played Roxie on Broadway. I got to see the backstage banter where people are worried about what they’re going to make for dinner and then they hear their cue and, boom, they’re onstage. And there’s a whole choreography when it comes to these costumes. They’re 50 to 80 pounds sometimes. These headdresses — Bob Mackie pieces that hadn’t left the building in 30 years.
MADISON: They’re Bob Mackie designs?
ANDERSON: They’re Bob Mackie designs. They have so much history in them. The showgirl is the iconic image of Las Vegas, and I wanted to keep that nostalgic innocence, that joyful optimism. And to create the chemistry between the young girls, I had dinners at my house. We were all cooking vegetable soup — doing all sorts of bonding things, because we shot the movie in 18 days.
MADISON: You really feel that rich history between you and each of the characters in the film. That’s a testament to all the internal work that you did.
ANDERSON: You have to dive in headfirst. I’m sure you had to too. Do you know any Russian? Tough language.
MADISON: My grandmother, it was one of the languages she spoke, but it wasn’t passed on to my father. So I was starting from scratch. I never wanted it to sound perfect. I always wanted there to be some Americanized version of Russian, because I didn’t want her to fit in; she’s always on the outside looking in. I would fall asleep listening to 10 hours of Russian speaking on YouTube and just cram in as much Duolingo as possible.
ANDERSON: I lived in France for a while, and I learned a lot of French, but I was always afraid to speak. Even if you learn the language and can understand a conversation, you’re still shy to speak it — that really came across.
MADISON: What were the most challenging parts of playing your character?
ANDERSON: I haven’t had a lot of experience in this industry. I mean, I have in my own way, but not something like this, that was so important to me. I really wanted to pour my heart and soul into it, and I wanted to keep my focus for the entire project. I feel like it’s just the tip of the iceberg; I’m really excited about doing more. I want to do more movies, but I’m going to still make pickles.
MADISON: Thank God.
ANDERSON: I will send you some. Beets, pickles, beans — whatever you want.
Production: Emily Ullrich; Lighting Director: Max Bernetz; Set Direction: Gille Mills
