The Oscars 2025 are here, and stars from the critically acclaimed film Anora 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 young sex worker from Brooklyn 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.
The film received six Oscar nods ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony, with director Sean Baker taking home the award for Best Original Screenplay. In his acceptance speech, 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.”
@strpr.coop @NEON thank you for the representation
#skripper #skrippertok #skripperlife EVERYONE GO WATCH ANORA OCTOBER 18!!!
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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