Mikey Madison has paid tribute to sex workers during her acceptance speech for Best Actress at the 2025 Bafta Awards.
The 25-year-old is the star of Anora, in which she plays a stripper in New York City, who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. However, their relationship soon turns sour after his parents learn of the relationship.
Madison was considered a surprise winner on the night, triumphing over Cynthia Arivo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Demi Moore, Saoirse Ronan and Karla Sofía Gascón.
The Scream star admitted that she didn’t expect to win and hadn’t planned an acceptance speech, joking: “I probably should’ve listened to my publicist when she told me to write a speech.”
Madison also thanked her mother, saying “she’s driven me to so many auditions” and her fellow cast.
After thanking her co-stars and director Sean Baker, Madison ended her speech by paying tribute to sex workers.
She said: “I just wanna say that I see you. You deserve respect and human decency. I will always be a friend and ally, and I urge others to do the same.”
Viewers at home praised the decision to award Madison the prize, with many believing that it is a strong indication that she could prevail in the Best Actress category at the Oscars next month.
“Mikey Madison showing support for sex workers in her BAFTAs speech ugh I knew she was that girl,” said one person.
Another added: “That was a lovely speech from Mikey Madison.”
Anora had already taken top honours at both the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards on Saturday night (15 February), catapulting it to Oscar favourite status with wins from a pair of closely watched Academy Awards precursors.
However, Conclave claimed the Best Film award at the Baftas having also bagged the award for Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.
Other big winners on the night included The Brutalist, which won four awards including Best Actor and Best Director for Adrien Brody and Brady Corbet respectively. Best Supporting Actress went to Zoe Saldaña for her role in Emilia Pérez, while Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain.
Elsewhere during the awards show, David Tennant won over the audience with his second stint as host, while Warwick Davis left viewers in tears with his emotional tribute to his late wife.
