Anora stars want to see ‘a shift where sex workers are respected’ after Oscars success
Sex workers from Anora have spoken about how they hope the film changes Hollywood depictions of the industry. (Neon/ United International Pictures/Le Pacte/UIP-Dunafilm)
The Oscars 2025 are here, and stars from the critically acclaimed film Anora – which is about a young sex worker from Brooklyn – have spoken out about wanting to see “a shift in Hollywood where sex workers are respected”.
The comedy/romance film tells the story of a sex worker who meets and impulsively decides to marry the son of an oligarch. However, his Russian family set out to New York in an attempt to annul the marriage.
Anora dominated at the Oscars, picking up five out of six of the awards it was nominated for at the ceremony.
The 25-year-old star of the film, Mikey Madison, picked up her first-ever Academy Award for her role as the titular character, and made sure to “recognise and honour the sex worker community” in her speech.“I will continue to support and be an ally,” Madison said.
Director Sean Baker also scooped up awards in the Best Director, Original Screenplay and Film Editing awards. In his first acceptance speech at the Oscars, he extended his appreciation to the sex worker community, whom he worked with on the film.
“They have shared their stories, they have shared their life experiences with me over the years,” he said on Sunday (2 March). “My deepest respect, thank you. I share this with you.”
Exotic dancer and actress Luna Sofia Miranda plays Anora’s (played by Mikey Madison) best friend, Lulu. She told the BBC that the film’s star Madison was “spot on” in saying that sex workers “deserve respect and don’t often get it”.
“My hope is that if this film wins an Oscar, it marks the beginning of a shift in Hollywood, where sex workers are respected, as workers in their own fields, but also as entertainers,” Miranda said.
She has already begun to feel the effects of her hard work in the film, having received a moving reception from fellow sex workers following the release of Anora. There were screenings in New York and LA solely for the community, who clapped their Platform Pleaser heels above their heads after watching the film.
Madison said: “That is the most beautiful applause I’ve ever received, I don’t know if that will ever happen again.”
Fellow Anora actress-come-exotic-dancer Edie Turquet, who was cast as a background dancer in the movie, added that while Anora begins to explore morality around buying intimacy and sex, the characters “never exist outside their profession”.
“It’s better than any film I’ve seen about it, but ultimately it’s limited as it’s not told by a sex worker,” she told the outlet. “I can’t wait till we’re telling our own stories and hopefully this opens the door to that.”
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