Actors often endure challenging conditions on set to achieve the perfect shot, and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Michelle Pfeiffer is no exception.
During a recent episode of the LA Times podcast, “In Conversation: The Madison,” the 67-year-old actress discussed her experiences filming in the rugged landscapes of Montana and Texas for Taylor Sheridan’s latest Paramount+ series, where she portrays Stacy Clyburn.
“It’s almost like camping,” Pfeiffer shared, referring to the lack of amenities while shooting in the open wilderness. “There isn’t even a proper bathroom.”
She further elaborated on the rustic conditions, noting, “Even the outhouse is fake. There’s no air conditioning, no plumbing, really nothing at all. But the scenery is incredibly breathtaking.”
Adjusting to these conditions took some time, she admitted, as the cabin used in the series was constructed hastily, leaving some essential facilities unmet.
“We didn’t really have trailers there because they were shooting 360 [degrees]. So, they couldn’t have a bunch of trailers around.”
“There was really no place for us to sit,” she continued. “There was no bathroom nearby. There was no food. And in the winter, it was cold. It was like, ‘Could we have a heater?’
“And in the summer, it was like, ‘Could I get an umbrella because the sun’s really intense?’ It took us about halfway through to figure all of that out.”
Pfeiffer’s character Stacy is the matriarch of a wealthy New York City family who makes a life-changing decision after suffering a devastating tragedy in the first episode.
Following their loss, Stacy and her family leave Manhattan behind for the rural Madison River Valley region of Montana in an effort to recover.
During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in March, Pfeiffer explained that taking on the project was a “big leap of faith” for her since [creator Taylor Sheridan] did not have a script for the series as he wanted to cast first and write later.
“[Taylor] wanted to know who Stacy was before he started writing. I wanted to know who Stacy is before I committed. And so we went back and forth like that for a little while, and it became clear to me I wasn’t going to win this battle,” Pfeiffer said.
“So I asked Helen Mirren [who previously starred in Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” spin-off “1923”] to speak to me about her experience.”
Pfeiffer said she consulted Mirren because she had to “know something concrete about this guy, this project.”
“And she just glowed; she couldn’t say enough nice things,” Pfeiffer recalled of Mirren. “She said the scripts were great, the productions were perfect.
“She was having the time of her life; she loved Montana. So I took a big leap of faith, and I committed. I thought, ‘Well, the guy has a pretty darn good track record.’”
“The Madison” went on to become Sheridan’s biggest-ever series launch after the premiere episode reached 8 million global streaming views in the first 10 days after its debut.
The final three episodes of the first season were released on March 21 and the show was renewed for a second season days later.