Anora star Mikey Madison has opened up about her real name that nobody uses despite it being important.
The 25-year-old’s role as sex worker Anora Mikheeva has earned her a nomination for best actress at the Academy Awards. She has already picked up a BAFTA for the role and been nominated at the SAG Awards.
But while Mikey has become a popular face on screen, many fans will be unaware that it isnt her real name. The Los Angeles-born star is actually called Mikaela Madison Rosberg, although she admits no one actually uses her full name.
When asked about her decision to use a screen name by Access Hollywood, Mikey explained: It was for some privacy reasons but also Mikaela is my name, but nobody calls me that. Ive never been called Mikaela my whole life, only by a very select few people.
At this point, its actually kind of annoying for me because I feel like I have so many nicknames. My family calls me something other than Mikey, some other friends call me something other than Mikey, but I feel like Mikey has been the one that has just stuck, for whatever reason. Im fine with people calling me Mikaela or Mikey
Born in Californias San Fernando Valley, Mikey grew up with her psychologist parents and four siblings. She revealed a personal connection with character Anora, as Mikey too had Russian heritage.
She says her own grandmother spoke Russian, much like her character. Although Mikey confessed she didnt know any Russian phrases when she landed the role.
Speaking to Pamela Anderson on Varietys Actors on Actors, Mikey explained: Its a very complicated language. I didnt know any when I started the film, I knew a couple of curse words.
My grandmother, it was one of the languages she spoke but it wasnt passed down to my father. I dont know any other languages so I was basically started from scratch.
My character needed to speak Russian in a very specific way. In the story her grandmother spoke Russian and she didnt speak English so that is how Ani knows that language so her Russian is very much at the level of an elementary schooler or middle schooler.
Anora follows the story of stripper Ani, who lives in Brighton Beach, a Russian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn. She meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, much to the bewilderment of his parents, who attempt to disrupt their relationship.
Mikey isnt Anoras only star to be nominated for an Oscar. Yura Borisov is up for best supporting actor, while Sean Baker has been nominated for best director and editing, and the movie itself has been nominated for best picture and best original screenplay.
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