Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn. “I wonder if they would do a theatrical release because it is so sweeping,” says the actress, who credits 1923 star Helen Mirren for helping her commit to the project.
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Montana
Trump nominee from Montana defends work, views on ‘white culture’ at Senate hearing • Daily Montanan
Even in the politically charged atmosphere and divided country, a routine U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was charged and emotions ran high as Jeremy Carl, a resident of Bozeman, stood for questioning, as President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to become the Assistant Secretary of State for the United Nations and International Organizations.
If confirmed, Carl would spend much time focused on the U.N. and other world organizations, but during the hearing this week, senators from both parties blistered Carl for his views on “white culture,” comments that were described as “anti-Semitic” and a fringe social concept called “replacement theory;” just a fraction of his time was spent focused on international policies, instead questioning him on matters closer to home.
Carl, who has spent time in right-leaning academic institutions and think tanks, has a history of controversial statements centering on race, religion and gender, and was appointed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte to the board of Humanities Montana, over the protests of some cultural leaders.
Carl also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the first Trump administration.
In an explosive Senate hearing Thursday, the only two Republicans on the panel to speak for Carl were introductory remarks by both Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the chairman, and Sen. Steve Daines, of Montana, whose comments noted they were both from Bozeman and both shared an admiration for former President Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile, Sen. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, said he was not inclined to support Carl’s nomination after questioning.
During the roughly two-hour hearing, though three other nominees testified about their appointments to other positions, the bulk of the time was spent focused on Carl and his extensive social media posting, speeches and writings that blamed the Jews for victimhood, claimed that “white culture” was being erased, and that Jan. 6 protestors were treated worse than African-Americans during the Jim Crow era.
Carl’s answers to a barrage of questions ranged from doubling-down to apologizing to claiming that his comments were being taken out of context. At least three Democratic senators said they were dumbfounded that a person with Carl’s beliefs would even be nominated to serve as one of America’s highest-ranking representatives to the U.N., because of his views, which favor white culture and Christianity while discounting diversity.
Allegations of anti-Semitism
Even though Carl’s nomination would focus on international relations, much of the hearing focused on Carl’s extensive writings, and more than 1,000 posts to “X” (formerly Twitter) which U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said had been scrubbed.
“Mr. Carl, you have argued that feminism has led to a downfall in American society. You’ve written that the Civil Rights Act has warped our culture and that the United States should be a white, Christian nation,” Shaheen said. “You’ve written that a post-feminist America is one of the reasons for falling fertility and rapidly rising out-of-wedlock births.”
Shaheen, though, used an October 2024 appearance on a podcast, “Christian Ghetto,” to quote Carl’s words back to him:
“Jews have loved to play the victim. The Holocaust dominates so much of modern Jewish history. Jews love to see themselves as oppressed.”
“You continued to make anti-Semitic and racist comments even after your nomination was announced last year,” Shaheen said. “In this committee, we’ve heard from many nominees we don’t agree with, but since your nomination, you’ve tweeted more than 850 times, appeared on five podcasts and repeated this language. This is a pattern. So, how can the committee trust that you can represent the United States of America to the rest of the world in an unbiased manner, when you have taken no steps to restrain your conduct after the nomination?”
Carl replied that since he was nominated, he’s been working at the Claremont Institute, and that his job includes advocacy.
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada, said that as the only synagogue president elected to the U.S. Senate, she was worried that an endorsement from the upper house of Congress would send a dangerous message that anti-Semitism should be tolerated.
“Mr. Carl’s vile and anti-Semitic threats are very real,” she said. “Some may try to excuse Mr. Carl’s remarks that they were taken out of context or that his own heritage (Carl has some Jewish ancestry, according to him) protects him from criticism. So let’s be clear: Identity does not excuse anti-Semitism. Identity doesn’t excuse racism. Identity does not excuse hateful rhetoric regardless of who said them. Words matter.
“To my colleagues that may consider voting in favor … understand what the vote signals — it tells America you’re willing to use your sacred vote not just to ignore but to endorse these hateful statements.”
Several senators read into the record or placed into the written records some of those statements, which included: “Hitler is always a convenient bad example.” Another that was referenced: “The Holocaust dominates so much of modern Jewish thinking today. Everyone has traumas in their past. How much are we going to relitigate them?”
Oppressed white race?
Two of the other prominent topics during Carl’s contentious hearing included theories that white people may be the most oppressed group in America, and a belief in a racially-based and unproven “great replacement theory” that holds that America is slowly and deliberately replacing white people of European descent with other ethnicities in America.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, used one of Carl’s quotes as the starting point for his questioning: “Anti-white discrimination is the most pervasive and political salient form of racism today.”
“Do you believe that anti-white discrimination is more salient than discrimination faced by Blacks, Latinos, Muslims or other American groups?” Murphy asked.
Carl responded that since Trump took office a year ago, that has been changing quickly.
“Maybe you’ll suggest that everything is fine now. A year ago, were white Americans the most discriminated against group in America?” Murphy asked.
“This is my belief and I’m not running away from that. Of course, all races in different contexts can be subject to severe discrimination. But when we look at our legal structure, white Americans are very disenfranchised in overt ways. We see it in the Small Business Administration and other places,” Carl said.
“So your belief is that white Americans face more discrimination at least prior to the Trump administration fixing this than Black Americans,” Murphy asked.
“On average, that is correct,” Carl replied. “I am not running from that at all.”
Carl also has written about his concern that “white culture” is disappearing and being erased from America. Murphy asked for definitions of white culture as well as examples of the government erasing it.
“Anytime you have mass immigration, you’re going to have a change in cultures especially if they’re coming from culturally dissimilar backgrounds,” Carl said.
“What history is being erased?” Murphy asked.
“Things like going to a certain type of Christian church,” Carl said, giving examples of ethnic differences within Christianity, saying that white Christians worship differently than Chinese-American Christians or Black Christian churches.
As Murphy pressed Carl for more examples of white culture being erased, Carl suggested the recent “Super Bowl” halftime show, featuring American artist Bad Bunny performing in Spanish, was evidence.
“I’m not a racial nationalist. I’m a civic nationalist,” Carl said. “I am concerned with the common American culture that we had for sometime that through mass immigration Balkanizes and weakens us. I’m not running away from that comment, and I am not apologizing.”
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, brought up references that Carl made, including that “whites are victims of cultural genocide.”
Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said he was disturbed by Carl’s endorsement of the great replacement theory.
“Do you believe there is an active effort to replace Americans right now,” Booker asked.
“The Democratic Party through its policies has certainly shown signs of that,” Carl said.
Booker then referenced some of Carl’s writings about race in America, quoting Carl’s assessment of it as an “us versus them” situation.
“The only interpretation I can have is it’s white people against the others, which sounds deeply racist to me,” Booker said. “Would America be weaker if it were, say, 40% Jewish?”
“Not in and of itself,” Carl replied.
“Why did you qualify that?” Booker asked.
“Unity, as President Trump has said, rather than diversity is a greater strength,” Carl said.
“Why not say it doesn’t matter what percentage of population is Jewish?” Booker said.
“One of my weaknesses as some have pointed out is sometimes taking an idea too far. I made some comments about minimizing the effects of the Holocaust that were absolutely wrong. I am not going to sit here and defend them,” Carl said.
Booker continued to push Carl about what other statements he’d rescind, but Carl pushed back saying he didn’t have all of them, while others needed context.
“We’re sending you into a very diverse world, and you can’t say unequivocally that it doesn’t matter what our racial heritage is. You say it matters what the racial makeup of America is. Do you believe it matters?” Booker asked.
“Senator, let me repeat what President Trump says,” Carl began.
“I don’t want you to echo what President Trump says. I want you to answer my question: Does it matter what the racial makeup of America is?” Booker asked.
“I stand on my comment,” Carl said.
“What’s your comment?” Booker said.
Carl then reiterated Trump’s stance on unity versus diversity.
“You think this country’s greatness depends upon its ethnic diversity as long as white people have more numbers. That does not sound like a nation with the belief that all people are created equal,” Booker said. “And equal before the eyes of God. It sounds like you have a racial hierarchy. There is no way for me to read this any other way. This is the United States of America. One nation under God, but you cut us up and divide us along racial lines.”
Carl tried to interject over Booker, “Respectfully.”
“You do not respect me — because of the color of my skin,” Booker said. “You have said that Juneteenth is a racial hustle so don’t come here and hustle me.”
Republican has questions
Curtis, the junior senator from Utah, said that he was concerned about Carl’s comments as they related to Israel, but was also concerned with other U.S. interests.
“You have said that the U.S. spends too much time and energy on Israel to the determent of our own national interests. Share with me what U.S. interests have been harmed by sustained American support of Israel,” Curtis asked.
In his response, Carl invoked his work with former Secretary of State George Shultz and Charlie Kirk, and said he wished the United Nations would “stop being anti-Semitic all the time.”
But Curtis also worried that Carl’s worldview may lead to more strained relationships with countries normally considered America’s allies. Curtis said that he has concerns about Carl’s nomination, which could split the GOP and doom Carl’s chances.
United Nations
Much of the State Department position engages with the United Nations, a body Carl criticized as being bloated and out-of-step with American priorities.
“I will work to advance this vision by holding the U.N. and international organizations accountable, promoting transparency and ensuring the U.S. taxpayers’ contributions to these organizations delivers tangible results that align with our national interest,” Carl said.
He called slain conservative personality Charlie Kirk a longtime supporter and champion, and referenced his close alliance with Kirk several times, at one point saying that virtually no America has championed Israel more than Kirk.
“As President Trump has said, the U.N. has potential, but needs renewed focus as it has strayed far beyond its original purpose of solving international disputes peacefully,” he said.
Carl praised Trump officials for demanding accountability and leading the U.S. back to its purpose, citing a recent reduction in budget by 15% and layoffs of nearly 3,000.
At other times, he criticized the U.N., characterizing it as a being a body of “global legislators” as well as “independent sources of moral, legal and political authority.”
“All too often our resources are used to support programs and agendas that do not fundamentally cater to our interests,” Carl said.
Praising Trump and the administration for withdrawing from 66 international organizations, he accused America’s allies of not voting with the U.S. at the United Nations and then “privately signaling their support.”
Jan. 6 vs. Jim Crow
Another contentious topic of the confirmation hearing centered around comments that Carl made in which he said that the participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were treated worse than people during the institutional racism of Jim Crow laws in America.
Booker pointed out that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was injured and later died in the attack, was a New Jersey resident. Booker spoke of Black Americans being beaten, lynched and murdered because of Jim Crow policies.
“It’s shameful. Sir, you have no decency. You have no honor. You say inflammatory things because you think it will ingratiate you to those who are paying your salary and you sit here before me and try to wrap yourself in an American flag,” Booker said. “You disgraced the ideas that we all swear an oath to uphold.
“God, I pray for us if we let someone like you represent us before the diverse nations of this world.”
Though Booker’s time to speak was ending and the meeting was running longer than scheduled, Carl replied, “I deplore Jim Crow and I don’t agree with you characterization of my views.”
On Friday, Humanities Montana confirmed that Carl had resigned from the board on Sept. 18, 2025.
Also on Friday, the Daily Montanan reached out to Daines for comment about Carl’s nomination, and whether he supported Carl, since he introduced him to the committee. The Daily Montanan also asked Daines whether he agreed with Carl’s positions in the committee hearing.
The Daily Montanan did not receive any response.
New numbers from the Department of Labor and Industry show a slight improvement in workplace safety across Montana.
The data indicates 13,200 nonfatal injuries and illnesses were reported in 2024. This is down slightly from the year before where it was 13,600.
The overall injury rate held steady with retail, manufacturing, and transportation seeing the highest rates.
State leaders say the data helps identify risks and improve safety efforts statewide.
The department says it’s also expanding training programs and keeping workers safe.
The data will continue to guide safety improvements in the years ahead.
The followng press release was sent out by the The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI):
DLI Releases Latest Statistics on Workplace Injuries and Illness in Montana
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) released today the 2024 Montana Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Report, providing an overview of workplace injury and illness trends across the state’s private industry sector.
“This report provides valuable insight into where workplace injuries and illnesses are occurring in Montana and helps guide efforts to improve safety across industries,” said Sarah Swanson, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. “By understanding these trends, employers and workers can take steps to reduce risks and build safer workplaces. This helps fulfill our mission to ensure every worker goes home safe after every shift.”
Key Findings from the 2024 Report
In 2024, employees of Montana businesses reported 13,200 OSHA-recordable nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 3.4 cases per 100 full-time workers.
The 2024 injury count decreased slightly from 13,600 cases in 2023, while the overall incidence rate remained unchanged.
Industries with higher 2024 incidence rates included retail trade (4.6), manufacturing (4.6), and transportation and warehousing (4.5).
Industries with lower incidence rates included mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (1.6), utilities (1.2), and finance and insurance (0.5).
The report reflects data collected during the 2024 calendar year* through the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), a nationwide program conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in partnership with state agencies. Each year, a sample of Montana employers submits workplace injury and illness data through the survey.
Focus on Prevention and Training
In addition to tracking workplace injuries and illnesses, DLI promotes safety through training and education. The department offers workplace safety training, including OSHA 10-hour courses that help workers recognize hazards and improve jobsite safety. DLI also provides Labor Law Training and Education on topics such as wage and hour laws, prevailing wage requirements, and collective bargaining in the public sector.
Programs such as SafetyFestMT provide free safety training opportunities for workers and employers statewide. The department also supports professional development through the Workers’ Compensation Claims Examiner Certification program, which strengthens expertise in managing workplace injury claims.
Supporting Long-Term Safety Improvements
Montana has participated in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for more than 30 years. The data helps track long-term workplace safety trends and support efforts to reduce job-related injuries and illnesses.
The next survey cycle will collect data for the 2025 reference year, with results expected to be released in 2026.
The full 2024 Montana Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Report is available here.
*Because the survey relies on detailed employer reporting and data analysis, results are released after the survey year to allow time for collection, verification, and analysis.
Montana
What to Stream: Charlie Puth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robyn, James Marsden and a ‘Hannah Montana’ special
A “Hannah Montana” anniversary special starring Miley Cyrus and fresh music from Robyn and Charlie Puth album are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the Oscar-winning Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value,” James Marsden as a hit man in “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” and the San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees on Netflix’s first MLB broadcast.
New movies to stream from March 23-29
— In “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” (Friday, March 27 on Disney+), James Marsden plays a hitman named Mike who’s hired by a time traveler named Nick (Vince Vaughn). Nick wants to prevent the biggest mistake of his life by killing his past self. Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s film, recently premiered at the SXSW film festival.
— Following its win at the Academy Awards, Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” has its streaming debut Monday on Hulu. Nominated for nine Oscars, including best picture, it won for best international film. In it, Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas play sisters who reconnect with their filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgård), who’s making an autobiographical film starring an American actor (Elle Fanning). In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that the film’s focus “may be small and limited — one Norwegian family struggling to connect and communicate — and yet its emotional scope is downright cosmic.”
— Daniel Day-Lewis came out of retirement to star in his first film since 2017’s “Phantom Thread” in “Anemone” (Saturday, March 28 on Netflix), a family drama directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis. In it, Day-Lewis plays a hermit in the North England woods who’s visited by an old friend (Sean Bean) sent to bring him back to his son. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it “bleak, somber, absorbing but also sometimes frustratingly opaque.”
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
New music to stream from March 23-29
— The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ eccentric bassist Flea will release his debut album on Friday. And in a true shock to those who don’t know him, it’s a trumpet-forward jazz record. You read that correctly. Long before the rocker made a name for himself in a band known for songs about California, he was a huge jazz fan, a musical world he explores on the record titled “Honora.” Come for the name, stay for his inventive improvisations and star-studded collaborations, which include Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and the always introspective Nick Cave.
— A lot has happened to singer/songwriter Charlie Puth in the time since his last album, “Charlie,” was released in 2022. He got married. He’s expecting his first child. He performed at the Super Bowl. Taylor Swift gave him a shoutout on her album “The Tortured Poets Department.” And now, he’s embracing it all on a new record, the playful “Whatever’s Clever!” Expect fun pop songs about life and its many transformative moments. That, and some Kenny G.
— Swedish pop savant Robyn has returned with “Sexistential,” her first album in eight years. It is nine-tracks of shimmering synths (“Dopamine,” “Really Real”) ascendant choruses (“Into the Sun”) and rebellious pop songs that double as emotional life rafts (“Sucker for Love.”) The songs are all about freedom, single motherhood, love and lust — often in the same breath. It’s a lascivious collection for the dancefloor: exactly what most pop stars hope to achieve, many fail, and Robyn makes look effortless.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from March 23-29
— “Hannah Montana” made Miley Cyrus a star and a new special streaming Tuesday on Disney+ celebrates 20 years since the show’s premiere. Filmed in front of a live audience, the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” will feature music, archival footage and an interview with Cyrus, hosted by podcast host Alex Cooper.
— Grab your peanuts and Cracker Jack because Netflix’s first MLB broadcast is opening-night on Wednesday. The San Francisco Giants will host the New York Yankees. Former Giants outfielder Barry Bonds has joined the commentary team for the streamer.
— A bride-to-be starts to get a bad feeling about her impending nuptials. Is it cold feet or intuition? “Something Very Bad is Going to Happen” stars Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & The Six”) and Adam DiMarco (“The White Lotus”) star in the new creepy limited-series debuting Thursday on Netflix.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from March 23-29
— In 2015’s Life Is Strange, a young woman named Max rewound time to save her childhood friend Chloe’s life. The series has bounced around since between different lead characters with different supernatural gifts, but Max and Chloe are back in Life Is Strange: Reunion. Max is now a teacher whose university has been destroyed by an inferno — and when she turns back the clock this time, Chloe shows up. Does she have mysterious powers of her own? Can they save the school and their relationship? If you’re craving an emotional, metaphysical mystery, you can check in Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
— Lou Kesten
[The story contains major spoilers from the season one finale of The Madison.]
The Madison has brought a new family to the Sheridan-verse. And after the conclusion of its first season, the story of the Clyburns is only just getting started.
The grief drama from Yellowstone hit-maker Taylor Sheridan introduced viewers to the Clyburns when it plucked them out of their New York City comforts and plopped them on an uncomfortable yet transformative six-episode tour through their grief in Montana.
The first season was given an unusual release, as it streamed in two parts over the last two weekends on Paramount+, like two mini-movies — which is how the story could be viewed. The second season has already been filmed and is in the can, awaiting an official release date from the streamer, and the cast, in conversations with The Hollywood Reporter here, makes it clear that Sheridan plans to continue.
“They’re hoping for season three,” star Michelle Pfeiffer tells THR.
No official announcements have been made, but Sheridan usually gets what he wants.
The Madison was a leap of faith for Pfeiffer when she signed on to play Clyburn matriarch Stacy. She didn’t have a script or much of a character description after leaving an early 2024 meeting with Sheridan at his Texas ranch when he pitched her the series in person — nor did she have a scene partner. Kurt Russell, who would eventually sign on to play her husband, Preston, was in production on his Apple series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and wasn’t available when season one was set to begin in the fall. So Pfeiffer and Sheridan pitched to Paramount that they move forward with a second season, and that Russell film all of his season one scenes when they return one year later, in 2025, to make season two.
That meant Pfeiffer would film the entirety of season one without Russell, their scenes cut together in the edit. “I was not happy about that,” Pfeiffer recently told THR with a laugh. “It was touch and go if they were going to make [Kurt’s] schedule work. But Taylor was insisting it was going to happen, so I just decided, ‘OK, it’s Kurt.’ And because I know him, that was pretty easy to conjure up.”
The series proves to be a Pfeiffer vehicle as she steers her fractured, privileged and often out-of-touch family through their stages of grief after Preston’s sudden death. After Preston and his brother Paul, played by Matthew Fox, tragically die in a plane crash while at their Montana home to open the series, Preston’s children (played by Beau Garrett and Elle Chapman; with a son-in-law played by Patrick J. Adams) and grandchildren (played by 11-year-old Alaina Pollack and Amiah Miller) travel with Stacy to the cabin in the mountains that Preston loved his entire life, but a place that the rest of his family had never visited.
“That’s often how people die in airplanes, when an emotional factor makes their decision-making,” Fox, a pilot himself, tells THR. “He only gets his brother out there for a couple weeks a year. He’s flown him to this special place. It bothered me that Paul was a little nonchalant about the weather that was moving in, but I justified i that he’s just trying to give his brother the very best birthday gift he possibly could.”
After many hurdles for this fish-out-of-water family and self-proclaimed “city mouse” Stacy — ranging from outhouse attacks by hornets, elk dinners that nearly undo the family and many, many lessons in empathy and readjusting preconceptions — Stacey ends the first season deciding to live at the Montana home that has now been imprinted onto her soul. After burying her husband there and holding a memorial in New York City, she leaves the city without any word to her family and arrives at Preston’s final resting place in Montana. When she is found by cowboy Cade (Kevin Zegers), she tells her friendly neighbor that she could use a hand getting settled, as she plans to stay for a while.
The ending sets up The Madison to return the series to the mountains as the main setting for season two, and the cast told THR they all plan to follow — in some way, shape or form.
“The family unit of the Clyburns is what holds everyone together, and they’re all integral to that dynamic. So there are a lot of questions at the end of season one that will be answered when you get to season two,” Yellowstone veteran Christina Voros, who directed the entire series, tells THR. “When the script showed up in my inbox, I cried. It’s such a unique show for Taylor in a lot of ways, but it’s a very specific show for me as an East Coaster who met a cowboy [husband Jason Owen, also animal coordinator on the series] and fell in love and moved to Texas and discovered Montana through shooting Westerns for Taylor. There was so much in the DNA of the show that felt specifically like it was speaking to me. I’ve never had the opportunity to direct something that I felt so creatively attached to.”
What especially spoke to Voros was the storyline with Abby, Stacy’s older, divorced daughter — and mother to Bridgette (Miller) and younger sister Macy (Pollack) — who is played by Garrett. “It’s funny watching her conversations with Van,” Voros says of the sheriff played by Ben Schnetzer. “Some of those are conversations I had with Jason when I first met him.”
Ben Schnetzer as Van with Beau Garrett as Abigail (Abby). “Five [seasons] feels like a good number. However long it takes for the story to be told,” says Garrett, who has been riding horses her entire life, of her hopes for the series.
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
After finding a deep (and steamy) connection while in Montana, Abby heads back to New York City after a difficult conversation with Van that highlighted their seemingly impossible romance. But the door is left ajar after a finale phone call heading into season two. “Christina was able to bring a very deft touch and particular insight, which was hugely helpful,” says Schnetzer, who returns for season two. “It’s a love story between two people who have quite complicated and committed lives, but that only adds to the drama and the intrigue. At times it really takes fire, and at times they’re kind of pulled apart.
“I find Christina to be so enthralling, and her story to be so enthralling,” says Garrett of The Madison helmer and what’s in store for Abby and Van. “There’s a softness to Abby that happens in season two that didn’t have a place in season one that was really fun to explore, a happiness; a joy. A bit of life that maybe she had forgotten in herself.”
She adds, “I don’t think this family is going to let the matriarch be alone in Montana.”
Pfeiffer and Russell were officially on board when Voros was approached in 2024 by Sheridan to direct his next series. They were filming what would become the final episodes of Yellowstone, and Sheridan told his go-to director that he would have scripts for her soon. But the supporting cast wasn’t yet set when the scripts showed up in her inbox.
When the rest of the Clyburn family booked their auditions — which, for most of them, included screen tests in Wyoming — they questioned if the show was set in the Yellowstone-verse, since that’s how it was first announced. There was a group chat named “Clyburn & Co” (separate from a text chain that included their Oscar- and Emmy-nominated onscreen parents) that would churn with every script delivery. “We would text, ‘Episode five just dropped, guys!’ Everybody would race to read it, and then we’d all discuss,” shares Chapman.
Adams said it was then made clear that The Madison would no longer be existing in or connected to the world of the Duttons, and that this series would be “its own thing.”
He also had a personal connection to the story. “We lost my stepdad about three years ago now and part of that was that we inherited this cabin. So I was in a cabin with my family, much like the Clyburns, when this show came to me,” Adams shares with THR. “I was having a very similar experience of wondering how we take care of it when I got the audition. Then I got a message that Taylor was really into [my tape] and he wanted me in Wyoming. But I couldn’t go. I would have to strand my family to get down there. I thought that would be it, and then they came back and said I could just make another tape.”
Chapman recalls at the screen test in Wyoming hearing other actors auditioning for Russell saying, “’Thank God Patrick J. Adams isn’t here, because I heard he was testing.’ They thought he was out of the running,” she says with a smile.
Adams would go on to land the role of Russell, who serves as comedic relief and an unexpected ally to Stacy as she tries to enlighten her daughters about Montana. And Chapman booked the role of his wife, Stacy’s younger and most self-centered daughter Paige. “It was very surreal,” admits the 27-year-old of her first screen test, for Sheridan, no less. “I tested against nine other girls, most of which I had grown up watching. I was so nervous.”
Paige and Russell seem the least likely to book a return flight to Montana for season two, but the actors say more evolution is in store for all of the Clyburns, including their married characters.
“Both places exist at the same time [between Montana and New York],” says Adams of next season. “The bulk of the story is Montana-based. They find themselves there and, I’m not sure how much they want us talking about the specifics, but this show exists with these people in this space trying to figure out who they are, not only to themselves but to each other, and it’s sort of a deepening position.”
Miller, who plays oldest granddaughter Bridgette, sums up: “Season one is about the family reconnecting and learning how to survive both emotionally and physically. Season two is about them rebuilding after they’ve reconnected and finding their footing and their love for each other.”
Elle Chapman as Paige with Patrick J. Adams as husband Russell. “Part of the joy of this show is that these people are totally unprepared. We’re all deer in headlights,” says Adams. “These people certainly exist in New York. They exist in every city when you’re disconnected. Taylor is using New York and their position as a way to give contrast to what happens when any of us get in the car or drive out of a city and take a breath and touch grass and go, ‘What is this quiet, peaceful feeling? What is this conversation I can have with someone undistracted?’”
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
One person not returning for season two, however, is Fox. The Lost star also filmed the entirety of his scenes during season two production, since Russell was his scene partner, and the idea of a limited engagement was a draw for the actor.
“That’s one of my requirements these days,” he tells THR with a laugh, sharing that he still gets approached by people on airplanes who tell him he makes them nervous (because of Lost). “I’m at a point in my life where I’d rather pop in and do something interesting, but I don’t want to dedicate six years of my life to something [again]. Taylor is an an exceptional writer. When I read the scripts, it really hit me where it hurts, and also made me laugh.”
Fox, who grew up in Wyoming, says he “appreciated Taylor’s authenticity of the world. He offers a lot as a storyteller, not just on a dialogue level but there’s so much subtext. I don’t know how he does everything that he’s doing. It’s mind-boggling. I’ve worked on other series where there’s a creator and a writers room where a lot of people are involved, and he writes everything. It’s really kind of astounding.”
When making a rare public appearance to introduce The Madison at its recent New York City premiere, Sheridan acknowledged the labor of love that went into what he has described as his most intimate and personal series yet. “This is a very emotionally taxing project because it’s about grief and family and tearing apart and coming back together, so it demanded a lot and it demanded a lot of everyone,” he said. He then credited Voros for carrying out his vision. “I had to turn it over to one person to trust to execute my vision and take this on. I’m a big believer that when you find a talent that understands your voice, you need to surrender to that talent,” he said. “[Voros] exceeded even my wildest expectations.”
The first episode ended with a dedication to the late Robert Redford, which Voros says was Sheridan’s idea, and Redford’s A River Runs Through It was an inspiration — it’s even part of the plot when Stacy shows the movie to her daughters after Preston’s death. The series was filmed on location in Montana, with the cabin interiors filmed on a stage in Texas. The New York City scenes were filmed both on location and in Dallas’ Fort Worth area.
“This was a beautiful series to make,” says Voros. “It all starts with the writing. There’s a reason for those of us who are lucky enough to work on Taylor’s shows — the reason people gravitate to these stories is because of the characters and the language they are able to speak. He’s a rare voice in this industry.”
The Clyburn brothers played Matthew Fox (Paul) and Kurt Russell (Preston). “We’re both pilots, we both love to spend time outdoors and do things like fly fish,” says Fox of himself and Russell. “I read the scripts and they were really beautiful and moving and funny, and created imagery in my mind that felt familiar and like home. It just swept me in.”
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Garrett thinks five seasons would be a nice number to follow the Clybun story through, though she admits “I don’t know where it goes, where it could go” beyond season two. But “grief is universal. Everyone has someone or something they’ve lost. That is relatable for anybody. Also, we all want to laugh, and this is also a really funny show. Grief is messy and funny,” she says.
“I think I speak for everyone when I say we would gladly shoot this show forever,” adds Adams. “I think we’ve found something kind of miraculously special here, so as long as it’s a story people want to hear, we’d be happy to tell it.”
Voros agrees, “Any time you get a show together with a cast like this you kind of want it to go forever. Having completed the second season, you just fall more and more in love with them as a family. It’s more complicated, emotionally, underneath.”
Season two will also bring about Pfeiffer and Russell’s first scenes actually filmed together, as Stacy and Preston’s love story will continue even after his death.
“You might see more of us in season two, together,” Pfeiffer briefly teases. Russell echoes only, “It’s in a different way.”
The pair are well trained on spoilers as they settle into their roles within the Sheridan-verse.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on the East Coast and I’ve spent a lot of time in the mountains. They all have something different to offer,” says Pfeiffer of relating to Stacy. “I love Montana. But I don’t know that I would live there. I am a city mouse.”
The Madison is now streaming all of season one on Paramount+. Read THR’s show coverage.
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