Anora, the 2024 film about a young sex worker who marries a Russian oligarch, swept the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 3, taking home everything from Best Picture to Best Actress for breakout star Mikey Madison.
Madison had beautiful words for the sex worker community while delivering her acceptance speech, saying, “I want to recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally. All the incredible women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this incredible experience.”
Mikey Madison accepts the award for Best Actress for her role in “Anora,” taking a moment to “recognize and honor the sex worker community.”
— ABC News (@ABC) March 3, 2025
“I will continue to support and be an ally.”#Oscarshttps://t.co/nl9CxOviL4 pic.twitter.com/cPM8HccQtH
Madison also organized a screening of the film during 2024 specifically for the sex worker community, which went viral thanks to footage of attendees clapping their “Pleaser” platform heels in appreciation.
While Cinderella sex worker stories are not new – 1990’s Pretty Woman is one of the best-known, but many came before it that made major impact (think Belle Du Jour, Midnight Cowboy, and American Gigolo to name a few). But as an industry that’s always been highly stigmatized in the public eye, it’s refreshing to not only see Anora get the Academy recognition it deserves, but such vocal support from the cast and crew as well.