Kurt Russell dies, Michelle Pfeiffer mourns
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the first three episodes of “The Madison” Season 1, streaming now on Paramount+.
For a legendary actor like Michelle Pfeiffer, it seems unthinkable that she would accept a starring role in a TV series without even seeing a script. On the other hand, it’s a little different when the offer comes from a red-hot creative like Taylor Sheridan, the mastermind behind hit series like “Yellowstone,” “Tulsa King” and “Landman.”
“Taylor reached out and said he had an idea and would like to meet with me,” Pfeiffer says. “So I went to Texas, I went to his ranch and had a great night meeting people. He talked to me about the characterization of the character and the concept of the show, and it was very broad in scope. I said, ‘Okay, when can I read something?’ He said, ‘Well, I’d like to know who I’m writing for before I start writing. So after you commit.” So we went back and forth for a few weeks after that, and I realized at some point that I wasn’t going to win this battle. I was either going to have to take a leap of faith or take a pass, and I decided to take the plunge because he clearly had a very strong record.
Her instincts were right, as the idea in question evolved into “The Madison,” the first three episodes of which premiered March 14 on Paramount+. Pfeiffer plays Stacy Clyburn, a city slicker who moves her family from New York City to Montana after a tragedy. Pfeiffer stars opposite Kurt Russell as her husband Preston, who is decidedly more comfortable in nature. Along the way, their children struggle with having to put down their cell phones to get to know the outdoors.
Russell, who signed on to the project later in the process, says the combination of Sheridan’s writing and the opportunity to work with Pfeiffer was a winning proposition.
“What he wrote and the people he wrote for come across,” says Russell. “When I got involved, I knew Michelle was playing Stacy. We had a great time working together, and this was another opportunity to do the same thing. The planning aspect of it was difficult, so it took time, it made some of the shooting difficult. But every show has its difficulties, and you get through it, and hopefully you end up with what you wanted to achieve.”
The pair first worked together on the 1988 crime novel “Tequila Sunrise,” and Pfeiffer recalls hitting it off with Russell immediately.
“He became my comrade in arms,” she says. “He was my protector, my confidante, my court jester. He was always there to make people laugh and brought a lot of joy to the set every day. We had a really nice chemistry together. It was just effortless with him.”
Unfortunately, near the end of the first episode of “The Madison,” the couple is torn apart when Preston dies in a plane crash, inspiring Stacy to deal with her grief by giving life on the farm a shot. Pfeiffer admits it’s a challenge to play such an emotional role and not take some of it home with you from the set.
“I don’t consider myself a methodist. I would find that really tiring and boring,” she says. “I also love life. I love my job, but I don’t want to leave my life to do my job. But my husband [mega-successful scribe David E. Kelley] said to me, “You kind of disappear when you go to work,” which I didn’t know. I thought I was just tired. That was actually a good thing, because the first season takes place over six days. She’s pretty much in the same state of mind for the entire six days, so you kind of go into that and stay there. I haven’t cried all over the weekend or anything like that, but it always gnaws at you a little bit.”
Christina Alexandra Voros, who directed every episode of Season 1 from Sheridan’s scripts, agrees that it wouldn’t be the same without Pfeiffer and Russell’s emotions and chemistry.
“I think something happens when you work with a legend and it’s always surprising to see that that’s why Are legend is that they are incredibly good at what they do,” she says. “It is no coincidence that Kurt and Michelle are who they are because they are so dedicated to what their craft is. Michelle is so precise in the way she prepares and is so diligent in understanding the text, and also allows herself to go to these vulnerable places that are very uncomfortable. You really have to trust your co-actor, the crew and the energy on set to want to go to those places. To have the honor of being able to navigate these scenes with the two of them… there are days where I forget to call cut because I want to see what they’re going to do next. I can’t imagine the show without those two specific performances.”
Watch the trailer for ‘Madison’ below.
