Tue Mar 04 05:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Up-and-Comer Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress Oscar in Surprise Upset
LOS ANGELES – In a stunning upset at the 2025 Oscars, 25-year-old Mikey Madison took home the Best Actress award for her role in “Anora,” beating out predicted winner Demi Moore. Madison’s rapid rise to Hollywood stardom has left many wondering about her trajectory. The answer, in part, lies with a memorable audition for Quentin Tarantino.
Madison, then 19, secured her breakout role as a Manson family member in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” (2019) with a truly unconventional audition. As she recounted to Jimmy Kimmel in November 2024, she channeled her character’s intense experiences, creating an acid-trip themed painting with a dramatic poem dedicated to Charles Manson, even incorporating a lock of her own hair. This audacious approach clearly impressed Tarantino.
That role paved the way for her collaboration with director Sean Baker on “Anora.” Baker, having seen Madison’s work in the “Scream” franchise, offered her the lead role without an audition, even promising to tailor the script to her talents. Madison’s Oscar win now solidifies her remarkable journey, proving that even the most unconventional approaches can yield extraordinary results in Hollywood.
First Piper 