The Big Break That Put The Madison Star Michelle Pfeiffer On The Map

Welcome to The Big Break, a column where The List staff looks back at how this week's headline-grabbing star made their claim to fame.

Nearly 50 years after she first appeared on our screens, everybody's talking about Michelle Pfeiffer again. Back in March, she made waves in Paramount+'s new series, "The Madison." The series has since been renewed for a second season, and this week, star Kurt Russell spoke at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival about working on the show. "It's really fun to do and Michelle is incredible," he said of his legendary co-star, per Variety. If this got you thinking about Pfeiffer's long career, you're in good company. So, let's take a trip down memory lane, back to her breakout role in 1983's "Scarface."

Pfeiffer's first TV role came in 1979 when she appeared in 12 episodes of "Delta House." She worked on several more projects over the next few years, including "Grease 2" in 1982. Yet, it was the following year when she appeared as Elvira in "Scarface" that she skyrocketed to stardom. With many successes under his belt, director Brian De Palma had his pick of famous actors for the film's leading lady. However, he was  taken by the then-23-year-old's presence and chemistry with "Scarface" star Al Pacino.

"Scarface" certainly altered the course of Michelle Pfeiffer's career, but this wasn't exactly her prediction at the start. In 2025, Pfeiffer appeared on the "SmartLess" podcast and explained that, at the time, "I didn't have any idea it would become sort of a cultural phenomenon."  In fact, she didn't even think she would get the role considering Brian De Palma told her she was out of the running after several auditions. While Pfeiffer started out strong in the long audition process, the pressure got to her. Two months in, she said, "Brian finally comes to me and says, 'You know, doll, it's just not going to work out.'" According to her, "Fear is the worst. It's an actor's enemy... So as disappointed as I was, I was so happy to be done with it." A month later, De Palma summoned Pfeiffer back in for a screen test. She explained, "I show up and I don't even give a s***, because I know I'm not getting this part," adding, "It was my best work of the film, of course."

Between the cast being almost entirely men and Pfeiffer's lack of experience, she said that filming was difficult, noting that she "didn't feel worthy" and that "every night I was terrified." Clearly, though, she persevered. This movie wouldn't have been the same without her, and her career wouldn't have been the same without it, either.