Anora director Sean Baker shares how a Canadian sex worker's memoir helped shape the film
The award-winning director says he tries ‘to avoid caricatures’ in his work
Sean Baker is the director of this year's Palme d'Or-winning film Anora, which has received near-unanimous acclaim for its acting, cinematography and nuanced portrayal of sex work.
The film follows an erotic dancer named Anora (or Ani as she prefers to be called) who quits her job after falling into a whirlwind romance with Vanya, the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch. But her fairytale ending is threatened after news of their shotgun wedding reaches Vanya's parents.
To ensure the film's representation of sex work was as accurate and credible as possible, Baker consulted Toronto author and sex worker Andrea Werhun, whose 2017 memoir Modern Whore documents her experiences in the sex industry.
"I read her memoir and immediately thought, 'OK, so this memoir speaks closest to my character that I was starting to develop, the character of Ani,'" Baker tells Q's Tom Power in an interview. "She's in her early 20s, she's an erotic dancer, but she also does escorting on the side. And, well, that's what Andrea covers in her memoir."
The breakout star of Anora, Mikey Madison, also worked closely with Werhun as she prepared to take on her role as Ani.
"Mikey was able to pick Andrea's brain about everything," Baker says. "She spent months in prep. Her physical preparation, but also, you know, the research she had done in the sex work world and spending the time to really understand it so she understood her character."
Three of Baker's previous films — Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket — also explore the lives of sex workers, traversing porn, prostitution and erotic dancing. He says he works with a group of consultants for all of his films.
"It doesn't apply just to sex work," he says. "I think it applies to any subject matter that I'm covering, especially when it comes to a lifestyle or livelihood that I am not a part of.… I would like to avoid caricatures or cartoonish takes on individuals in my films."
Baker also adds that he doesn't "sanctify" his characters and turn them into saints. "That's the biggest thing for me," he says. "If I'm watching a character and that character doesn't have any flaws and doesn't make mistakes and sometimes doesn't act immaturely, I don't see myself in that character. And I want to see myself in characters in order for me to really connect with them and root for them."
The full interview with Sean Baker is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He also talks about his big win at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Sean Baker produced by Vanessa Nigro.
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