“Tapped Into Something”- Michelle Pfeiffer on Using Personal Grief to Portray Stacy on ‘The Madison'

Published 11/11/2026, 2:45 AM EST
Schauspielerin Michelle Pfeiffer anlässlich eines Pressetermins zum Film - Cheri - im Rahmen der 59. Internationalen Filmfestspiele in Berlin

The Madison made quite a splash when it aired, and the reunion of Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell was a big reason why, with audiences eager to see the two share the screen again. But the show’s pull ran deeper than its star pairing. A good part of its impact came from how convincingly Pfeiffer portrayed Stacy, a woman navigating life as a widow, with a rawness that viewers found hard to shake.

The actress has now reflected on how she got it so spot on, revealing that the performance came from a very personal place.

Michelle Pfeiffer draws from her personal experience for The Madison

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In The Madison, Michelle Pfeiffer plays Stacy Clyburn, a self-described “city mouse” and Manhattan matriarch whose seemingly secure world collapses when her husband Preston, played by Kurt Russell, dies in a plane crash alongside his brother. The role asked Pfeiffer to sit with raw, unfiltered grief for much of the series, balancing the strength of a matriarch with the cracks of a widow still coming to terms with her loss.

"I’ve lost a few people. And, for some reason, I just tapped into something." Pfeiffer said.

Daily Life in New York City, US - 29 Mar 2026 The Paramount office building is seen in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. New York United States Copyright: xJiminxKimx xSOPAxImagesx JKIM_daily_life_nyc_mar_29_26_DSC3116.jpeg

  During a screening of the Paramount+ drama at The Ross House in Los Angeles on Nov. 5, Pfeiffer, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, also said that Taylor Sheridan did not have a script when he initially approached her. The uncertainty that it stemmed from had no effect on the execution, and that the drama is returning with a Season 2 is proof of the same.

'The Madison' Review: Michelle Pfeiffer Leads Taylor Sheridan's Powerful Drama About Grief and Family

With the new season already in the can, attention now turns to what lies ahead for Stacy and the Clyburns once the dust of loss begins to settle.

What The Madison Season 2 about?

Season 2 of The Madison picks up after the initial wave of raw grief has passed and some time has gone by. With Preston gone, the Clyburn family is back in Montana, left to deal with the aftermath of the plane crash and to work out what life looks like without the man who held them together. For Stacy, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, the story shifts from surviving loss to rebuilding everything that fell apart, while the family’s dynamics, old tensions, and ties to the Madison River Valley are tested all over again.

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TCM ceremony honoring Michelle Pfeiffer with Hand and Footprint Ceremony as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California Featuring: Michelle Pfeiffer Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 25 Apr 2025 Credit: Faye s Vision Cover Images . NOT FOR USE BY NEWSPAPERS BASED IN THE UK.

The season has already wrapped filming and is reported to run six episodes, though Paramount+ has not announced a release date. The show has also been renewed for a third season, a sign of the confidence behind a series that opened with a record debut for Taylor Sheridan.

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Are you excited to see more of Michelle Pfeiffer on The Madison? Let us know in the comments. 

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Aliza Siddiqui

2058 articles

Aliza Siddiqui is an Entertainment Journalist and Primary Editor at Netflix Junkie. With over a thousand articles previously published at Otakukart, she brings a seasoned voice to pop culture storytelling—infused with her signature wit and editorial finesse. Her passion for cinema sparked with Anne Hathaway’s Princess Diaries and deepened through films like Don't Look Up and The Dictator, which shaped her appreciation for satire and subtext.

Edited By: Adiba Nizami

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