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Mikey Madison may be having her star-making moment, with recognition from multiple critics groups for her performance in Sean Baker’s “Anora,” as well as a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy at tonight’s Golden Globe Awards, but rather than revel, she’s taking time to pay homage to those who helped shape her own abilities. Taking a visit to New York’s Criterion Collection offices, Madison spent some time inside the Criterion Closet not only selecting goodies to take home, but acknowledging multiple performances that have stuck with her through the years, from Jackie Coogan in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” to Jack Nicholson in Bob Rafelson’s “Five Easy Pieces.”
“I really think it’s my favorite Nicholson performance,” said Madison of Rafelson’s film. “There’s just something about how he approaches this character, such a morally gray character, yet you’re rooting for him. And I feel like those are often characters that I am drawn to as an actor. You know, nobody’s just good or bad. It’s that sort of weird space in between that’s really interesting to me.”
Madison went on to single out Isabelle Huppert‘s haunting turn in Michael Haneke’s erotic psychological drama, “The Piano Teacher” — a performance that earned Huppert Best Actress at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival — as one of continuing influence on her.
“Has to be — not just in my eyes, but worldwide — one of the most incredible performances by an actress in the history of cinema,” Madison said of Huppert’s work. “She is so intense and vulnerable, and the scene where she stabs herself in the shoulder with the piece of glass, I think it is, there’s a sound that comes out of her throat. It’s so guttural. I remember watching this and I was like, ‘I have to go back and see this one more time because I can’t believe that I just saw this performance.’ And you imagine, with another actress, what would they have brought to the character? But you can only picture Isabelle Huppert in this role.”
In a less artistic, more tangible sense, Coogan’s work in the 1921 silent film “The Kid” helped shape Madison’s career greatly. Having been only a small child during production, Coogan’s parents ended up taking all of his earning. He later sued his parents, leading California to enact the California Child Actor’s Bill, known as the Coogan Act, to protect profits earned by child performers. Having started as a child actor, this act had a huge impact on Madison as she was beginning her career.
“So the Coogan Account is put in place for young performers to have their money put into a separate account that your parents can’t touch,” she said.
Watch Madison’s entire Criterion Closet visit below.
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English (US) ·