Mikey Madison, who started her career in the FX series “Better Things,” is one of the discoveries of Oscar season with Sean Baker’s “Anora.” As the title character – a Russian-American stripper in Brooklyn who falls in love with a client – ​​she is alternately stubborn and sentimental. Who better to pair them with than a star who has worked similar magic this year? Pamela Anderson plays a Vegas stage performer who, like Anora, dreams of human connection in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl. Like Madison, Anderson began her career on television with “Baywatch.” In recent years, Anderson has enjoyed a renaissance with the release of a memoir and documentary about her life, and Madison, who showed up with a notebook full of questions, was understandably impressed.

MIKEY MADISON: How are you feeling right now? I was a little nervous when they called “action.”

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PAMELA ANDERSON: Me too – how do you start a conversation about all this? You must be thrilled that your film is doing so well.

MADISON: I have dreamed of being where I am now throughout my entire career as an actress. Some of it doesn’t feel real at times.

ANDERSON: When did you start acting?

MADISON: I started acting when I was about 15. “Better Things” ran for five seasons over seven years. That was my introduction to everything – I really knew nothing about acting. During these seven years I was able to dip my feet in the water.

ANDERSON: Sometimes you don’t really know when to start the process. I’ve always been very curious about the craft of acting, but I didn’t have to put in the effort when I was walking around in a swimsuit on Baywatch. I was curious – I was sitting on the Samuel French floor reading plays by Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill. I didn’t know how to get from there to there, but I just had this dream. I always kept it a secret that I could be more than I did.

Gia could see the hunger in me as a woman who wanted to express myself; I owe her a lot for having this vision. I always tell her, “You saved my life.” Because I would have hated to never have the chance to do something that was meaningful to me. I see that with you too. You’ve worked with Quentin Tarantino, one of my favorite filmmakers, and also Sean Baker. Have you seen the script for “Anora”? Did you audition?

MADISON: Sean had seen a horror film I had made – “Scream”. It was on opening weekend. He was already thinking about the storyline for Anora and cast me straight from the film. It was the easiest casting process I’ve ever had to go through. I’ve never had to audition for anything. I was put in the position of playing very antagonistic characters; I really wanted to play a lead role and I’m grateful Sean gave me that opportunity.

When did you first read your script?

ANDERSON: I was in my garden at home on Vancouver Island making pickles.

MADISON: Cucumbers?

ANDERSON: Really! Cucumbers. Cucumbers and jam – I just love my garden. I’m obsessed.

MADISON: Do you grow your own cucumbers?

ANDERSON: I grow my own cucumbers. I went home to remember who I was. Then I started taking off my makeup and getting my hands dirty. I didn’t really have any representation at the time, but Gia tried to find me through an old agent and he passed on the film. Gia wouldn’t take no for an answer; She found my son Brandon, and Brandon brought me the script and I read it on my little vegetable farm. I knew the whole movie like a play before I came to Vegas.

How was the process for you?

MADISON: It was a character that felt so far from home in every way. At first it was very intimidating; How can I empathize with her? I thought I just have to start small. I did quite a bit of pole training. I took this stripper boot camp where I was taught how to do lap dances and how to twerk. And I would know everything about her – what cigarettes she smokes, what her school life was like.

ANDERSON: You have to do the work. When I saw “Anora,” I just wanted to pull you out of there and give you a hug. I also had friends in this industry and could really relate to it. It was so emotional. Did you have an intimacy coordinator? That’s the big thing these days, right?

MADISON: For our film, it was a decision I made; The filmmakers offered me an intimacy coordinator if I wanted. Mark Eydelshteyn, who plays Ivan, and I decided it would be best to just keep it small. My character is a sex worker, and I had seen Sean’s films and know his commitment to authenticity. I was ready for it. As an actress, I treated it as a career.

I wanted to ask you about your preparation for The Last Showgirl.

ANDERSON: I was able to bring a lot of my personal experience, my long life dealing with beauty and glamor and aging and re-evaluating life decisions. I have to bring my whole life to this role.

I think the past shouldn’t dictate your future. But looking back, I always created characters. And I feel like I’ve created a few Halloween costumes. But a lot of the things I went through, I didn’t realize my kids were going through at the same time. Being a working mother and living in this entertainment world and seeing your mother sexualized in some way – I didn’t know how difficult that was. So I’m not ashamed of my life.

I’m not ashamed of the decisions I’ve made, even though in hindsight I might have done things differently. But you need life experience to know that you would have done it differently.

MADISON: I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of. This incredible, amazing life made you the person you are and that’s why you were able to perform the way you did.

ANDERSON: That’s what I try to tell myself too. And I feel like I now have the freedom to focus on things instead of worrying about a relationship or my family. My children are grown up. I am free. Now I can play again.

MADISON: The lives we lead make us better actors.

ANDERSON: I worked with Greg Butler, who was the choreographer when I played Roxie on Broadway. I could see the banter backstage where people are thinking about what they’re going to make for dinner and then they hear their cue and, boom, they’re on stage. And there’s a whole choreography when it comes to these costumes. Sometimes they weigh 50 to 80 pounds. These headpieces – Bob Mackie pieces that hadn’t left the building in 30 years.

MADISON: Are they Bob Mackie designs?

ANDERSON: They are Bob Mackie designs. They have so much history within them. The showgirl is the iconic image of Las Vegas, and I wanted to preserve that nostalgic innocence, that joyful optimism. And to create chemistry between the young girls, I had dinner at my house. We all cooked vegetable soup and did all kinds of things that bonded us because we shot the film in 18 days.

MADISON: You really feel the rich history between you and each character in the film. This is a testament to all the internal work you have done.

ANDERSON: You have to dive in headfirst. I’m sure you had to do that too. Do you know Russian? Harsh language.

MADISON: One of the languages ​​my grandmother spoke was one that she spoke, but it wasn’t passed down to my father. So I started from scratch. I never wanted it to sound perfect. I always wanted there to be an Americanized version of Russian because I didn’t want her to fit in; She is always on the outside looking in. I fell asleep, listened to 10 hours of Russian on YouTube, and just cram in as much Duolingo as I could.

ANDERSON: I lived in France for a while and learned a lot of French, but I was always afraid to speak. Even when you learn the language and can understand a conversation, you’re still afraid to speak it – that’s really well received.

MADISON: What were the most difficult parts of portraying your character?

ANDERSON: I don’t have much experience in this industry. I mean, I did in my own way, but not something that was that important to me. I really wanted to put my heart and soul into it and focus on the entire project. I feel like it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m really looking forward to doing more. I want to do more movies, but I’m still going to do Pickles.

MADISON: Thank God.

ANDERSON: I’ll send you some. Beets, cucumbers, beans – whatever you want.

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Production: Emily Ullrich; Light management: Max Bernetz; Director: Gille Mills

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