Mikaela Madison
Mikaela Madison Rosbergis an American actress. She began her career acting in short films and received recognition for her role as a sullen teenager in the FX comedy series Better Things (2016–2022). Madison then played Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino's period comedy-drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and Amber Freeman in the horror film Scream (2022). She gained praise for playing the titular character in Sean Baker's romantic comedy-drama film Anora (2024), earning a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Career
Madison made her acting debut in 2013, appearing in the short films Retirement and Pani's Box. In 2014, after appearing in the short film Bound for Greatness, she filmed her first feature film, Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey, which was not released until 2017.
In 2016, Madison began a starring role as Max Fox in the FX comedy-drama series Better Things created by Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon, which ran until 2022. From 2017 to 2018, she guest starred in the Bravo dark comedy series Imposters. In 2018, she appeared in the drama films Monster and Nostalgia.
Madison earned recognition for her role as the Manson Family member Susan "Sadie" Atkins in Quentin Tarantino's period drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was a commercial success with a worldwide gross of $374.3 million. Also in 2019, she had a voice role in the animated black comedy film The Addams Family.
The following year, Madison was cast as Amber Freeman in Scream, the fifth film of the Scream franchise, which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The film was released in 2022 to critical and commercial success, becoming the 28th-highest-grossing film of its year. Writing for The A.V. Club, Katie Rife called Madison a standout performer in the film.
In 2024, Madison had a supporting role in the miniseries Lady in the Lake. She was cast by Sean Baker in the romantic drama film Anora as the titular stripper and sex worker. The character was written for Madison after Baker watched her performances in Scream and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. For the role, she studied Russian and performed her own stunts, including two fight scenes. The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim, winning the Palme d'Or. It became a commercial success upon its theatrical release, grossing $21 million worldwide against its $6 million budget. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair praised Madison's Brooklyn accent and found her performance "big and vivid, brash but charming". Her performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
