Kurt Russell has spent more than six decades in the entertainment industry, building a career around larger-than-life characters. From his iconic role as Snake Plissken in Escape from New York to his portrayal of Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, he has consistently played figures who exude an undeniable weight and presence as soon as they step on screen. Yet, despite the memorable and formidable roles that have defined his career, Russell admits that he had never before played a character who felt like a true reflection of himself—until now.

In his latest project, the Paramount+ drama The Madison, Russell takes on the role of Preston Clyburn, a character who, in many ways, mirrors his own life in a way no other role has. As Russell tells The National, “I’ve been doing this for 65 years, and I’ve never played a character that was really a lot like me, and this guy is.”

The Madison tells the story of a New York family who is drawn to Montana after the death of Preston Clyburn. Over the course of the six-episode season, which is now streaming in the Middle East on Tod, Preston emerges as the emotional anchor of the show. Although he is deceased for most of the series, his presence is felt in every moment. The family’s struggles, especially his wife Stacy, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, are driven by his absence, but it is through the love and life they shared that the show’s emotional core is revealed.

For Russell, there’s an undeniable connection between his own life and the character of Preston. Both Preston and Russell share a unique bond to two contrasting locations—New York and Montana. While Preston straddles the divide between city life and a grounded, outdoor existence, Russell’s own life has similarly been shaped by a combination of early roots in Massachusetts and Maine, a career launched in Los Angeles, and an adult life that has found its anchor in Colorado. This geographic connection, however, is only part of the reason Russell identifies so strongly with the role.

What resonates most deeply with Russell is the portrayal of the long, deep relationship between Preston and his wife Stacy. Their marriage is portrayed as one marked by years of shared history, and The Madison explores what that love looks like once one of them is gone. This kind of love—the kind built over decades—strikes a chord with Russell, especially given his own long-standing relationship with actress Goldie Hawn.

Russell and Hawn have been inseparable since their first meeting in the mid-1960s when they were children. They officially became a couple in 1983, and their love has only deepened over the years. In Preston’s love for Stacy, Russell sees a reflection of his own. As he puts it, “I said, you know what? This is the right one to be myself in – to explore myself in. For me, it speaks to me the way I would want it to be, and I think I’m like a lot of men who’ve lived lives that varied from what it looked like it was going to be. My life became something else because I drove it.”

This deep personal connection is part of what made the scripts for The Madison particularly emotional for Russell. He admits to struggling with the material, as the writing struck him on a profound personal level. “I had a hard time getting through the scripts. They just kept hitting me really hard,” Russell shares. “I felt that that was a big part of this show’s potential, ability to grab an audience. Its writing was so authentic.”

What stands out in The Madison is the way the show portrays grief, love, and the bittersweet realization of how much one has when it’s no longer there. Russell highlights how the show captures the authenticity of a long-term relationship, showing how one partner’s death can lead to the surviving partner realizing just how much they took that love for granted. “It was so powerful for it to have a serious, true love relationship with someone, and then for one of those people to go, and for the other to realize they didn’t know how good it was – that they didn’t know there was so much more to it, and they’re not going to let that go,” Russell explains.

This sense of late understanding is what gives The Madison its emotional weight. Russell notes that the show doesn’t shy away from the difficult moments of grief. It’s not just about the pain, though; it also finds room for humor, even in the darkest moments. Russell praises The Madison’s writer, Taylor Sheridan, for his ability to weave humor, often in the form of gallows humor, into the narrative. “What I like about what Taylor does is he makes it humorous, as well as a lot of gallows humor always, always around it,” says Russell. “The cog that was in the middle of it all is gone, and you can only deal with it. You can’t get it back.”

The bittersweet nature of the show, combined with its emotional depth, makes it a powerful exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of life. For Kurt Russell, The Madison represents a rare opportunity to truly explore his own experiences and emotions through a character who feels closer to him than any he’s played before. It’s a role that resonates not only with his professional journey but also with the love he shares with his own partner, Goldie Hawn, making it a deeply personal project for the legendary actor.