Inside The Rugged Montana Set Of Taylor Sheridan's The Madison: 'There Is No Bathroom'

Taylor Sheridan's new Western drama "The Madison" follows a well-to-do family who trade their glitzy lives in Manhattan for rural Montana. Originally envisioned as a spin-off to Sheridan's "Yellowstone," much like "Dutton Ranch," called "2024," the series stars Michelle Pfeiffer as grieving mother Stacy Clyburn, alongside Kurt Russell as her husband Preston and Matthew Fox as her brother-in-law, Paul. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times' "In Conversation" podcast, Pfeiffer delved into what it was like filming on location in Montana. Between the remote area and the lack of on-site provisions, she described the working conditions as difficult.

"You may as well be in a tent because, you know, there is no bathroom," the "Batman Returns" star explained. In fact, "Even the outhouse is not real. So there's no AC, there's no plumbing, there isn't anything. But what it is, it is breathtaking." Pfeiffer elaborated on the challenges she and her castmates faced during filming, admitting they all had to scramble and make do with what very little they had. "There weren't certain things, sort of, accommodations set up," the actor stressed. "We didn't really have trailers there because they were shooting, you know, 360. [...] So, there was really no place for us to sit. There was no bathroom nearby. There was no food."

More than that, the "Scarface" star also pointed out that the weather conditions in Montana are often unpredictable and extreme. "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?'" Pfeiffer noted. "It took us about halfway through to figure all of that out," she added.

Michelle Pfeiffer isn't the only cast member on "The Madison" who found the filming experience challenging. Patrick J. Adams, who plays Russell McIntosh, the husband of Stacy and husband Preston's daughter, Paige Clyburn (Elle Chapman), also described working on "The Madison" as unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. "'The Madison' set is easily the most kind of intense set I've ever been on in terms of size and scope," Adams, who first rose to fame on "Suits," shared in a March 2026 video for Collider's "Behind the Scenes" YouTube series. As he asserted, "When we first got there, it was a bit like, 'Where are we and what is this place?' which fit for the show." Getting to the location alone was tricky, with Adams explaining, "You're driving the dirt road. You're getting in the van. You're going down another dirt road. It's a long way to get there." Of course, shooting outdoors comes with plenty of nature-based problems too.

One day, they were getting ready to shoot a scene when they were suddenly hit by very strong winds, causing their tents to flap violently and almost get pulled from the ground. "I remember thinking like, 'Oh my god, we're going to lose the day. This is so dramatic,'" Adams recalled. But they weren't about to let it halt production. However, there have been instances where the crew had no choice but to reschedule some scenes due to unforeseen reasons and/or circumstances. But no matter what, they always find a way to keep things going. "It's a real testament to people who work on Taylor [Sheridan] shows," Adams reflected. "They were just like, 'All right, this isn't happening today. We'll do something else.' They just pivot to some new thing."