Michelle Pfeiffer wasn’t meant to be one of this year’s Emmy nominees. It was just a bit of coincidence and unexpected timing that her Paramount+ drama “The Madison” and Apple TV’s hour-long comedy “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” were released at the same time.
Add to that the recent Prime Video original holiday film “Oh. What. Fun,” which will also be eligible for Emmy season, and Pfeiffer will be in the unique position of having three different streamer projects eligible at the same time in the Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series/Anthology/TV Movie Acting categories.
“It’s amazing,” she told Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, still stunned by the coincidence. “what happened?”
Pfeiffer was originally in talks with Taylor Sheridan to star in The Madison, a new family drama about a New York socialite who dies in a plane crash and leaves everything behind to move into her late husband’s cabin in Montana.
“But when I read this book that David gave me, and no negotiations were that far along, I fell in love with the character of Cheyenne,” Pfeiffer says. The book is “Margo’s Got Money Trouble” by Luffy Thorpe, and “David” is Pfeiffer’s husband, television producer David E. Kelley.
Pfeiffer agreed to the role without giving it much thought. “Shan’ann is only in a few pages in the book, so I thought, ‘This isn’t going to be a big deal,'” she says.
A few months later, Pfeiffer was deep in negotiations for “The Madison” when he received a phone call from his agent. (I said) “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, that’s it,” she recalled. At this point, both projects were too good to pass up.
In the case of “Madison,” Pfeiffer’s experience was similar to that of her character, Stacey Clyburn, a city dweller in Montana experiencing culture shock. “It was rugged, and I didn’t know how rugged it was going to be,” she admits. “After the first week or so, I remember getting in the trailer with the makeup and hair guys and sitting them down and saying, ‘Okay, guys, we’re going to camp. And okay, we’re going to look out for each other!'” So we were all kind of rolling up our sleeves. ”
Like Stacey, Pfeiffer fell in love with the setting. “Montana is so beautiful that you can overcome the harshness of the environment,” she says. “I was so happy to see a wonderful sunrise on my way to work and sunset on my way home in the morning. And I fell in love with the ‘Madison’ family.”
On this episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Pfeiffer talks about her busy year in television, working with husband David E. Kelley, and her first variety show appearance. She also takes a 10-question quiz. But first, the roundtable covers the “Hacks” finale, the drama competition between “Pluribus” and “The Pats,” and the latest in the Emmy race. We will also answer your passionate questions. Please call the Emmy Emergency Line at 323-617-9110. Then listen below.
“Margo’s” was a very unusual collaboration between Pfeiffer and Kelly. The couple has been married for more than 32 years and credits part of their success to keeping their work and personal lives separate.
“We didn’t have any hard-and-fast rules or any kind of agreement about it. Neither of us were very keen on working together,” Pfeiffer says. “I really value my marriage and didn’t want to do anything that would ruin it. But something like this came along and I really love this movie. I thought it would be really sad to see someone else do it. And I love Elle[Fanning]so much.”
She admits that she was “envious” of the great dialogues her husband wrote for others, especially women, in the past. “I felt like I couldn’t say no,” she says.
And thanks to two of TV’s most prolific producers, Pfeiffer, who until recently had largely avoided TV shows, has become one of the most seen stars this season.
“I’ve been really amazed over the years by the amazing work that television, especially actresses, do,” she says. “I was always on the sidelines and envious. So I decided, ‘TV is what I really want to do,’ and now here I am!”
Pfeiffer first appeared in Variety magazine on Wednesday, January 17, 1979, when she was mentioned as one of the cast members of ABC’s midseason replacement show “Delta House,” based on the hit movie “Animal House.” (Pfeiffer’s character didn’t even have a name, he was simply called “Bomb”.)
“It was very scary,” Pfeiffer recalls. “I think the cast was almost entirely based in New York. They were very experienced actors. This was one of my first jobs, if not my first. I had no idea what I was doing, so I just made it up as I went.”
And yes, I asked her about “Grease 2.” Also, I think I sang a little bit of “Cool Rider.” Thankfully, she has fond memories. “For people of a certain generation, it’s one of their favorite movies, or one of their favorite movies that I’ve made,” she says. “It was so much fun. I got to dance and sing. So yeah, it was a big vacation for me.”
10 Questions for Michelle Pfeiffer:
1. Her childhood nickname was Sherry.
2. Something I loved as a kid and can’t believe I’m obsessed with now: Dill pickles. “Even back then, I loved avocados. My father would give me a quarter to go to the market to buy sweets, and I would take home an avocado.”
3. A song to go to karaoke or sing in the shower: (She didn’t have one, so I convinced her to go with “Cool Rider.”)
4. What is another title for your show? For “The Madison,” it’s “Cry Me a River.”
5. What is your secret talent?: “I make things. For example, I built a fireplace once. I also built a deck. Give me a hammer, some wood, and some nails.”
6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate.
7. The one item I can’t live without: Eye drops.
8. What TV show in history do you wish you had been a part of?: “Dark Shadows” — which she said she already had since appearing in the 2012 feature film. “But I’d love to do the TV show again. That would be fun.”
9. Fictional character you most admire: “I loved playing Cheyenne. It was so much fun.”
10. Favorite piece of advice: “I don’t really like giving advice. I don’t think people really like advice. But I was thinking about this today. As you get older, you realize how ignorant you are. You’re still learning and you give up the idea that you’re always right.”
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tunkay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also serves as a producer, is your one-stop destination for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode’s “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talents and creators, discussions and debates about the awards race and industry headlines. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcasts.
