Mikey Madison landed a surprise win as she was crowned Best Actress at the 2025 BAFTAs on Sunday, beating out favourite Demi Moore.
The relatively unknown 25-year-old was honoured for her role as a young sex worker in critically claimed movie Anora, just weeks ahead of the Oscars for which she is also nominated.
But Mikey admitted before her meteoric rise she was a homeschooled ‘weirdo’ who had dreams of being an equestrian and was shunned by her siblings.
The actress, who is one of four, told W magazine on their YouTube channel: ‘I was always the weird horse girl and I think at some point I grew into myself more, people started to think that I wasn’t like weird’.
‘My twin brother would pretend that we weren’t siblings, people would be like on the last day of school “Miles why would you be getting into [Mikey’s] car with her?” and he was like “Oh, she’s my sister”‘.
Before adding, laughing: ‘He has since apologised’.
Relatively unknown Mikey Madison, 25, landed a surprise win as she was crowned Best Actress at the 2025 BAFTAs on Sunday, beating out favourite Demi Moore
But Mikey admitted before her meteoric rise she was a ‘weirdo’ who had dreams of being an equestrian and was shunned by her siblings (pictured on Modern Family aged 13 in 2012)
Speaking about being homeschooled she told The CUT last year: ‘I literally homeschooled myself so I could be at the barn all day with my pony,’
‘I loved the ritual of getting to the barn and taking care of my horse, but it’s kind of an isolating sport. I felt called in another direction.’
Mikey, who began acting aged 13, said seeing the movies of Quentin Tarantino led to her turning her full attention to the craft as well as embracing a stage name, she told GQ: ‘Seeing his films genuinely changed my life,’
Born Mikaela Madison Rosberg she would go on to star in the iconic movie maker’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as Charles Manson cult member Susan Atkins.
She also appeared in 2022 reboot Scream and Apple TV’s Lady in the Lake alongside Natalie Portman last year.
Anora sees young escort Ani (Mikey), who is from Brooklyn, meet and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch.
Once the news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
It comes after Mikey revealed the advice movie superstar Robert De Niro gave her ahead of her shock BAFTA win.
‘My twin brother would pretend that we weren’t siblings, people would be like on the last day of school ‘Miles why would you be getting into [Mikey’s] car with her?’ and he was like ‘oh, she’s my sister” (pictured together)
Mikey said seeing the movies of Quentin Tarantino (pictured) led to her turning her full attention to acting as well as embracing a stage name
Born Mikaela Madison Rosberg she would go on to star in the iconic movie maker’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (pictured) as Charles Manson cult member Susan Atkins.
She also appeared in 2022 reboot Scream (pictured) and Apple TV’s Lady in the Lake alongside Natalie Portman last year.
Following her acceptance speech revealed the 81-year-old Godfather star’s words of wisdom turned out to not be so helpful.
Still shocked following her win, she said: ‘I’m disassociating right now, but I am incredibly honoured. I wish I had made a better speech, Robert De Niro told me on a talk show not to prepare a speech, so I thought it best to listen to him.’
Mickey and Robert, who has been nominated for eight BAFTAs and won two Oscars, appeared together on a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show.
The actress went on: ‘It is really surreal. I don’t know if I will ever grasp the magnitude of being at a room like that. In a room with people who made me fall in love with film and acting.’
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‘Well my best friend is here with me so I will be celebrating with her and I will probably call my mum again.’
During a her speech a shocked Mickey muttered: ‘I should have listened to my publicist and written a speech or something’.
She went on to praise the film’s director Sean Baker for ‘changing her life’ before thanking the cast and crew.
Alongside Mikey, Adrien Brody scooped Best Actor and Actress at the ceremony, while Conclave and The Brutalist equally led the pack with four awards.
The biggest night in British film returned with actor David Tennant as host and an array of guest presenters on hand to deliver awards throughout the night.
Up against a huge list of 10 nominees, Conclave – who won Best Film – came up triumphs in BAFTAs very unique category Outstanding British Film Award – adding to their previous two gongs for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.
The Brutalist won four awards including Adrien’s Best Actor, impressive Best Director gong for the well-deserving Brady Corbet, Best Cinematography gong and Best Original Score.
Acknowledging the ‘British public’, Adrien shared a moving tribute to England, admitting ‘It’s felt quite a bit like home lately’.
It comes after Mikey revealed the advice movie superstar Robert De Niro gave her ahead of her shock Best Actress win
Following her acceptance speech revealed the 81-year-old Godfather star’s words of wisdom turned out to not be so helpful
Mikey pictured in the movie in which she plays a young sex worker who marries the son of an oligarch
He said: ‘I am so grateful. I want to thank the British public for embracing me and my creative endeavors. It is incredibly meaningful as England has felt quite a bit like home lately. I will cherish this, thank you all’.
Brady said: ‘I am humbled and very grateful, there is no such thing as best director, it’s like a joke.’
Receiving the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film for Conclave, director Edward Berger said: ‘It is a huge honour, outstanding British film, and I’m not even from here! I feel so welcome in your midst. We live in a time of crisis for democracy. Institutions that used to bring us together are used to pull us apart.
‘Sometimes it is hard to keep the faith in that situation, but that’s why we make movies and that’s why we made this movie.’
As well as Mikey’s Best Actress award, the $6million Independent movie Anora, which beat blockbuster movies at the Critics Choice Awards last week, picked up Best Casting gong.