How Mikey Madison Prepared For Her Role In The Social Reckoning

The Run-Through with Vogue

Host Chloe Mal interviews actress Mikey Madison in Milan regarding her recent Vogue cover shoot and upcoming film. The conversation transiti

Key takeaways

• Mikey Madison describes her role in 'The Social Reckoning' as an intellectual transformation rather than a physical one.
• Madison compares the directing styles of Aaron Sorkin, who uses precise dialogue, to Sean Baker, who encourages improvisation.

Main topics

• Vogue Cover Shoot
• The Social Reckoning film

Notable quotes

It's more of an intellectual transformation that I needed to try and pull off.

Conclusion

A deep dive into the personal philosophy and professional craft of Mik

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:04) Hi, everybody. This is The Run-Through. I'm Chloe Mal, and I am in my hotel in Milan, Casa Brera, with the one and only Mikey Madison. Mikey, thank you so much for joining us today. Oh, Chloe, Speaker 8 (0:15) thank you so much for having me. Speaker 1 (0:16) I want to hear about your experience of the cover shoot, because I loved these photos so much. Drew Vickers shot them, and Carlos Nazario styled them. What was that experience like for you? Speaker 6 (0:28) It was really exciting, and I'm... a true horse girl, like down to my roots. Like I grew up riding at the barn in the dirt, like playing with the animals. And so when I heard that this was the theme, I was really, really excited. I Speaker 8 (0:47) was like, ah, yes. So yeah, I mean, the clothes were so beautiful and I loved that like just very dry desert landscape that we captured. Speaker 6 (0:57) Some of those photos I'm like going to cherish. Forever. And I love the cover. I think it's so unique. And I'm going to be like 80 years old showing my grandkids like, Speaker 2 (1:08) look, I was really, I was cool once. I Speaker 8 (1:13) think my favorite photos on the inside are these ones where Speaker 6 (1:17) I'm wearing this like pink Dior gown. So beautiful. And sort of like twirling and they gave me really long hair. And yeah, it was like very whimsical and I loved it. Speaker 1 (1:26) We really went with the horse theme because we were all excited about this. And I know that you went horseback riding with Marley for the interview. Speaker 2 (1:33) Yeah. Who I really like, by the way. She's the most beloved Speaker 1 (1:38) person at Vogue, bar none. I believe it. Have you gone back to riding as your career has progressed? I feel like some women I talk to who... come back to writing as a safe space. Like, Kendall Jenner competes writing because she's like, it's the place where I'm anonymous. Like, no one knows who I am when I'm in the writing outfit with the helmet on. Oh, wow. And she uses a fake name. And she competes still, I think, monthly or something. But I wonder, have you ever thought about going back to writing in a more intense way? Because you competed. Speaker 6 (2:14) I did, yeah. I competed growing up, and I was on a specialty agility team. And yeah, that was my life. I haven't competed in... eight ten years maybe I don't ever see myself competing yeah I've gotten back into horseback riding because I missed it so much and I've kind of fallen in love with western riding did you grow up Speaker 2 (2:35) doing English I grew up English yeah like very classic equestrian can you explain for non-horse people what that means the difference between English and western an English saddle has um Speaker 6 (2:47) like a smoother less curved seat and then the western has a horn which is like the biggest distinction the stirrups on a western saddle are bigger and thicker the stirrups are the things that you put your feet in and for the english saddle like they're more streamlined and thin and so english riding is like all about posture like elegance and then hunter jumper is like how fast you can get through a jumping course i Speaker 1 (3:17) Also loved our video that we did with you and the pony. Speaker 2 (3:22) I loved that too. And thank you for indulging my fantasies of horses and miniature ponies and going with it. Speaker 1 (3:31) It was really a dream. But I have to tell you that I got an amazing call one Monday morning from our head of video letting me know that the pony was underinsured. And she needed to let me know that she was going to be paying more to insure the pony because apparently this was a high-risk pony. But the pony did great. Yeah, the pony was a little bit of a diva, Speaker 2 (3:55) I have Speaker 1 (3:55) to say. Speaker 2 (3:55) That's what I heard. Some real diva behaviors, a bit of attitude. We were all kind of, like, nervous around the pony. Speaker 2 (4:06) But no, it was like the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. And Speaker 6 (4:10) I have this really extreme obsession with miniature animals. Speaker 7 (4:15) I Speaker 6 (4:16) just like everything miniature. I love Speaker 2 (4:20) and I have no restraint. And there was one point where I was like, I wonder, is this like too, is this too crazy and unhinged and like too many horse pony? Chihuahua things. And like, are people going to think that I'm crazy? And then I was like, you know what? Sometimes you just have to lean into the crazy. Speaker 1 (4:40) And I fully have. I have three Chihuahuas. So I know I want to hear because I'd say when we launched Doge, which is our annual Dog Days of Summer cover package of cover doges, it was right when you were starting the Enora press tour. And my colleague Hannah immediately sent me a picture of you walking Peaches. And she was like, Doge, next year, we have to. And so you were sort of our spirit animal for Doge 2025. And Peaches and Jam really lived up to the challenge. But they were also sort of naughty on set, no? It Speaker 6 (5:15) was Jam that is like the naughtiest dog of all time. Like he, I love him with so much passion. He is like... Speaker 2 (5:24) truly has this like evil streak. Speaker 1 (5:27) This is like my son, but yes, keep going. This is like me describing Alice and Arthur as peaches and jam. Speaker 2 (5:35) Yeah, that's so funny. Them together would be completely unhinged. Yeah, he's just totally nuts. He has like actual human eyes and like a weird human mouth. It's like very uncomfortable. He stares at me and I'm like, stop staring at me like that. I feel like at one point he's just going to open his mouth and talk. Speaker 6 (5:55) Yes, thank you so much for that cover. I think it is the thing that I'm most proud of in my life. I literally Speaker 2 (6:02) have it framed in my house. I don't have Speaker 6 (6:04) anything Speaker 2 (6:05) else. Yeah, I'm like the proudest dog stage mom of all time. But now you have, we Speaker 1 (6:12) have to start Pony Vogue because Pogue. Because you have, oh no, donkey, dog. It's another dog. Speaker 2 (6:19) It's another dog. Let's, come on, let's get the donkeys on a cover, Speaker 1 (6:25) please. Tell me about these donkeys because I have to say I really have a soft spot for donkeys. I think they're such funny, like ugly stepsisters of the horse family. I feel like people don't appreciate donkeys as much as they should. I'm Speaker 2 (6:38) so glad that you're recognizing donkeys in this moment and giving them more of a platform and a voice because I agree. They are like the weird quirky cousin to the pony. Yeah. But I'm so endeared by them. They're so charming. So charming. So stubborn. Speaker 6 (6:57) Oh my gosh. So different from horses in like this unbelievable way because now I know everything about how to train a donkey. Speaker 1 (7:08) Wow. Because Speaker 6 (7:08) I pretty much put myself through like... you know, YouTube training school to try and train these guys. They're rescues. And I don't really know what their life was before I got them. But yeah, they're difficult. The question everyone asks me when they Speaker 2 (7:25) hear I have donkeys is, what do you do with them? Honestly, nothing. They're just really cute. Speaker 1 (7:33) I liked in the piece, Marley was like, we sit and watch the donkeys, which is... All you do with donkeys. That's Speaker 8 (7:38) all you do. You can like pet them and nuzzle them and brush them a bit and like maybe walk them around if they're amenable. But Speaker 1 (7:49) you recommend being a donkey parent. Sure. Yeah, no, I love them. Where did their names come from? It's Lulu and Gus Freckles. Speaker 2 (7:57) Yes. Speaker 6 (7:58) Thank you for remembering the Freckles part because it's a really, he Speaker 2 (8:01) actually has two first names. It's not a middle name. It's a hyphen. Where Speaker 8 (8:05) did the names come from? Well, Lulu, she's my miniature donkey and she's just very like sweet and feminine as much as a little donkey can Speaker 6 (8:15) be. And so I wanted to give her like a pretty name. And then I kind of feel like two syllables is really good for a pet. Wasn't it Speaker 2 (8:23) also Speaker 8 (8:23) inspired by the Isabelle Huppert role? Yes. Well, yeah, the film itself I love. And so Speaker 6 (8:29) I was like, oh, maybe I'll do like a little homage to that. I have to say she's a very beautiful donkey. And then Gus Freckles. Actually, Sean Baker, I just saw him the other day, my director of Enora, and he brought me this vintage movie poster. And it's this. A European film. And there's a donkey in it. And the donkey's name is Gus. Totally accidental. Speaker 1 (8:55) Oh, Speaker 6 (8:56) wow. But it's amazing. And so there is some weird subconscious, like, tether between me naming this donkey and film. Wow. But no, he just seems like a Gus to me. And then he has all these, like, cute little freckles. And so I added Speaker 2 (9:12) it on. And I could keep talking about this for a really long time. So just interrupt me when. Well, I am going to move on to the movie, but I would— I appreciate that. I understand. Speaker 1 (9:25) I saw the movie a couple of days ago, and I was completely wrapped. I was in a room full of journalists, and everyone was on the edge of their seat. You play the Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who actually Vogue did the first big interview with. And I wonder how much of this story you knew before you read the script. Speaker 8 (9:47) Honestly, I can say I didn't Speaker 6 (9:50) know who Frances was. I had heard about there being a whistleblower, and obviously at the time there was so much news coverage of what was happening. But to me, I think her specifically somehow just slipped under the radar for what I was seeing. And so I read the script, and I was blown away by... this woman and what she did. And so obviously after I did a ton of research and like devoured as much as I, as I could before meeting her. Did Speaker 8 (10:21) you meet her? I haven't met her yet. We've sent some messages to each other back and forth, but I... How do you send the messages? Email. Yeah. No, but I'm meeting her really soon and I'm excited to meet her in person. But, you know, we live really far apart from each other. Speaker 6 (10:39) But yeah, it'll be really nice. I think I'm going to be kind of starstruck when I meet her. Speaker 1 (10:45) I'm sure. I mean, what a surreal experience. But I know that Sorkin encouraged you not to be too literal in thinking about how you were going to play her, that you brought up that you don't look like her particularly, but that he encouraged you to think about it more as the idea of her rather than... literal facets of what she looks like and physicality. How do you take that advice but also prepare in a productive way? Speaker 8 (11:14) Yeah, the character in the script is Speaker 6 (11:17) inspired by her. And then obviously the events that follow in the film are based on everything that really happened, very honestly. And so when I read the script, I obviously looked her up and I was like, this is someone who... It physically is so different from me. Blonde, blue-eyed, our age difference. And so I was kind of expecting this to be like a big transformation of sorts. And I was like, okay, I was game for that. I was ready for that to be a possibility. But when I met Aaron, he very adamantly didn't want to. go in that direction. He's like, this is an amazing woman, but I really want you to build a character purely from my script. And so that was something I kind of struggled with at first, but then at the same time also gave me a lot of freedom to just pretty much create a character from the ground up. But obviously this is a incredible, very brave, heroic woman who sacrificed so much for like the greater good of of people that she doesn't even know. And so I was like, well, to me, I'd like to try in some ways to bridge the gap a bit. Speaker 8 (12:29) And Speaker 6 (12:29)