Mikey Madison is best known for her intense and emotionally charged performances in both film and television. Here are some of her most critically acclaimed roles:
1. Anora
Mikey Madison has been rewarded with unending accolades for the roles she plays as the lead in a film named Anora 2024 by Sean Baker. Madison lives the life of Anora Mikheeva in Anora a female sex worker married to the troubled son of a Russian oligarch, Vanya Zakharov. Her acting is masterful and eloquent; it bridges the gap between the screwball comedy of the film and the deep emotional aspect of the story, thus doing a wonderful job of representing Anora’s strength and complexity. Madison’s work being authentic was never in doubt; she took Russian lessons, visited strip clubs, and even got good at speaking English with a Brooklyn accent to completely sink into the character.Madison’s convincing portrayal has garnered attention. At the 2025 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), she won the Best Actress award in a truly unexpected twist that was referred to as her ‘X factor moment’!
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Mikey Madison plays Sadie in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, inspired by the real Manson Family member named Susan Atkins. Even though she is not the main character of the storyline, her introduction in the climactic sequence is still memorable.
Madison captures the deranged fanaticism of Manson’s sect members with her performance of Sadie. She switches from one end of the spectrum, which is a sense of being in control to absolute pain, emoting true mania through her lines. The film is most well-liked when her character appears as an aggressor who together with her cultists invades Rick Dalton’s mansion with the intent to commit a gruesome murder, but she is rejected with a violent reaction which began then to be a most superb scene. One of her performances comes to an apex when she gets set on fire with a flamethrower to the shock and amusement of others, making her place clear to the darkly portrayed highlight of the movie.
Critics have marveled at her ability to convey a simultaneous sense of slight menace and absurdity, and similarly identify her unique presence as one of the film’s highlights. She showed her great acting skills beside veterans like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, displaying her amazing talent for characters who make a strong impression.
3. Better Things
Madison’s most substantial role to date is Max Fox in Better Things, an FX comedy-drama created by and starring Pamela Adlon. The series follows a single mother, Sam Fox (Adlon), as she raises her three daughters while navigating life in Hollywood. Madison plays Max, the eldest daughter, who is in the turbulent transition from adolescence to adulthood.
What makes Madison’s performance so compelling is her ability to balance Max’s teenage rebellion with deep emotional vulnerability. She portrays a character who is sometimes selfish and frustrating but also deeply sensitive and searching for her own identity.
Her performance is often quiet and introspective, but when emotions boil over, she delivers them with intensity and sincerity.
Critics widely praised Better Things for its authenticity, and Madison’s portrayal of Max was a key reason for the show’s success. Her ability to bring out the nuances of growing up in a modern world made Max a relatable and compelling character, solidifying Madison as a rising star in television.
4. Scream (2022)
In the 2022 reboot of Scream, Mikey Madison brings to life the character of Amber Freeman, who hides her evil and crazy soul in the guise of an innocent teenager she was at the beginning of the story. In earlier parts of the film, Madison had to depict a normalizing appearance with a combination of slasher villain for its climax acts. Her portrayal of the final moments of the film is especially noteworthy, in that the complete takeover of her mind by Amber’s psychotic spirit is manifested thus. Whereas other past Ghostface killers were slow to kill or sulk about some past event, Amber was played by Madison who zigzagged among lows and highs with shock-induced energy. The moment she drops her act and unfurls her true evil presence is spine-chilling – she changes from a regular high school girl to a full-fledged horror villain in just a matter of seconds. Her performance in the movie is one of the best that she gives because of the way she tries to wink at the iconic, over-the-top treatment of the Scream series. She is not only a horror master, but also one of the best entertainers in the series list of notorious killers.
Her exaggerated expressions, sudden mood swings, and unhinged delivery make Amber one of the most dynamic villains in the Scream universe.
Critics noted that Madison’s performance was a major highlight of the film, with many comparing her to Matthew Lillard’s character from the original Scream—both actors brought an extra level of unpredictability to their roles that made them particularly memorable.
5. The Addams Family (2019, voice role)
Compared to the immensely eerie Addams family, Kat remains a teenager with a more conventional and normal life whose opposition with the Addams’ family has been the life of Kat’s role. Madison is excited and at the same time amazed. She wonders how Kat is keeping up with Wednesday who has a very dark personality. Even though this role of hers was less intricate but critic loved the voice cast’s performances and Madison’s amazing job with giving a more defined character to the film. Kat’s usual active playing was left behind for a moment; instead, she managed to prove her gift with varied roles as an actress underlining her immense talent which didn’t stop surprising the public.
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