Oscars 2025: Mikey Madison beats Demi Moore to take home Best Actress award

The nominees for Actress In A Leading Role at this year's Oscars included Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres

The Oscar for actress in a leading role has been won by US star Mikey Madison for playing a New York stripper in comedy Anora.

Accepting her first Academy Award, Madison called the experience “very surreal”, and added: “I grew up in Los Angeles but Hollywood felt so far away.”

She added: “I want to recognise and again honour the sex worker community, I will continue to support (them) and be an ally.”

Madison also said that she wanted to thank the “intelligent, beautiful and breathtaking work” of her fellow nominees.

The nominees for Actress in a Leading Role consisted of; Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance) and Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here).

Demi Moore had been the favourite to win the converted award thanks to some significant wins in the build up to tonight's Oscars. The 62-year-old picked up the leading actress award for body horror The Substance at the 31st annual awards ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Hall in Los Angeles last week.

During her acceptance speech Moore, who plays a TV fitness instructor who turns to a miracle drug after being sacked from her job, reflected on her membership of the acting organisation from the age of 15, saying it "changed my life because it gave me meaning".

She added: "It gave me purpose. It gave direction. I was a kid on my own who had no blueprint for life. I knew nothing about acting, but I watched and I listened and I learned from all of you. You have all been my greatest teachers. I am so grateful that I have continued over these so many years to be able to try and sometimes succeed and sometimes fail, but to be able to keep going."

Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo was also a popular shout for the honour thanks to her star turn as the green witch Elphaba in the prequel to The Wizard Of Oz (1939). The 38-year-old British actress said "green was necessary" as she explained her outfit choice on the Oscars red carpet.

Speaking to ITV, she said: "I haven’t really worn much green on the carpet… and green was necessary. So this bottle green is very much like Emerald City (a fictional setting in the Wicked film). I wanted something that felt very old Hollywood, and that’s what this feels like. I look very, very special in it. We took a long time to plan it, and this is it."

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