Photo:
Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty
Mikey Madison‘s furry friends are keeping her grounded after her Oscars victory.
During the 2025 Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2, the 25-year-old won her first-ever Academy Award for her role in Sean Baker‘s Anora, beating out frontrunner and fellow first-time nominee Demi Moore.
Speaking with reporters at the Academy Awards press room following her win, Madison shared how she thinks this win could impact her career.
“I’ve been thinking about the future a lot and also the past,” Madison said. “I’ve been really trying to remind myself to stay as present as possible throughout all of this, so I don’t know. I really don’t know what will happen in the future. I just want to keep making movies and continue to work with people who inspire me and play interesting characters, tell stories that are compelling.”
Madison added that as far as how she’d wrap up such a momentous evening, “I just know that tonight I’m going to go home to my new puppies and probably clean up their mess, and it’s gonna bring me right down to earth.”
Mikey Madison in ‘Anora’. Courtesy of TIFF
Anora won five prizes overall during the 2025 Oscars, helping Baker, 54, make Oscar history. The director, who wrote and directed the independent film, is now tied with Walt Disney as the only two people in the Academy’s history to win four Oscars in one year. However, Baker did set a record by becoming the first person to win four Oscars for the same film.
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Madison leads Anora in the titular role, a sex worker experiencing a whirlwind Cinderella story. The breakthrough star earned nods throughout awards season, eventually winning at this year’s BAFTA Awards ceremony.
After accepting the Best Actress statuette from last year’s winner Emma Stone, Madison described the moment as “surreal,” adding that “Hollywood always felt so far away for me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible.”
Madison continued to thank her team, those behind the film, her family in attendance, the sex-worker community and her fellow Best Actress nominees: Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, Moore for The Substance and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here.
“This is a dream come true; I’m probably gonna wake up tomorrow,” Madison said, also thanking her Anora director: “I adore you. This is all because of you.”
See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 97th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien.
