Exclusive Interview: Madison Pankey on ‘FAST,’ Becoming Sterling, and Stepping Into Her First Leading Role

There’s something fitting about Madison Pankey finding her way to acting after once setting her sights on the stars. Before pursuing a career in the arts, she studied astrophysics, one of many interests in a life she jokes has already contained “a thousand lives.” That curiosity has become an integral part of her process as an actor, approaching characters with the rigor of a researcher before allowing instinct to take over. In FAST, that combination finds an ideal showcase in Sterling, a woman whose resilience, independence, and willingness to reinvent herself mirror parts of Pankey’s own journey.

Marking Pankey’s first leading role in a feature, FAST challenged her emotionally and physically, from sustaining Sterling’s perspective throughout filming to learning how to operate a vintage Lotus 51-C. Under filmmaker Rob Tregenza’s precise visual direction, Pankey found freedom within the film’s demanding choreography and a deeper confidence in what she was capable of as a performer. For Pankey, Sterling became more than a character to inhabit. She became an opportunity to explore how pain can forge strength, what it means to trust yourself, and the power of moving through the world without waiting for permission.

Pop Culturalist chatted with Madison Pankey about stepping into her first leading role in FAST, the physical and emotional transformation behind Sterling, working with filmmaker Rob Tregenza, and how her unconventional journey from astrophysics to acting continues to shape the stories she wants to tell.

PC: Sterling isn’t afraid to embrace change and reinvent herself, which feels like an interesting parallel to your own journey into the arts. What first sparked that pivot for you, and how did that experience shape the way you approached Sterling?
Madison: Sterling’s willingness to pivot is one of the characteristics that drew me to her. It felt like the part of her that I knew.

My friends always say I’ve lived a thousand lives. I have tried on so many different interests, everything from astrophysics to broadcasting to polo (yes, the horse kind). In college, I found myself trying out for all sorts of clubs and teams, and I quickly learned that it took a lot of trial and error to find what I was really passionate about. Similarly, in acting, there is an extraordinary amount of experimentation.

I took my first acting class in the spring of my junior year of college. A professor recommended a scene study and monologue class after I took a performance art class with her. The feeling I had been searching for while studying astrophysics finally clicked into place when I prepared my first monologue.

I love space because of how small it makes me feel. I feel most human when thinking about all those who came before me and will come after me. Acting gives me that same perspective. Every character asks me to step into another person’s life and understand the fears, hopes, and contradictions that make us who we are.

PC: Every role asks something different of an actor. What did Sterling ask of you that you hadn’t explored before, and what did you take away from playing her, both as an artist and as a person?
Madison: Sterling’s name refers to a couple of different things, but the one I found transformative is sterling silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, with other metals added to make it strong enough for daily use. It goes through an intense heating process before it becomes durable.

I started to see Sterling in the same way. Her strength was forged through an extraordinary amount of pain. Her brokenness sharpened her. She is guarded and hardened because she has to be, but she uses her exterior to follow her instincts and move through the world on her own terms.

Sterling’s self-assurance brought me back to times in my life when I hadn’t yet learned that lesson. In kindergarten, I was on my school’s chess team and routinely beat kids years older than me. The next year, a new coach decided my class was for “advanced players” and cut me. I was just a little girl, and I accepted it. Looking back, that was an early moment when I did take no for an answer. Sterling made me think about what might have happened if I hadn’t. If you belong somewhere, you have to assert it yourself. Sterling doesn’t wait for permission.

Before meeting Sterling, I had not thought of grief and suffering as experiences that could build strength. Playing her, I think she healed a part of me. Sterling was capable of whatever she set her mind to because she decided she could.

While filming, I found myself returning to the Psalm, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” That felt deeply connected to Sterling’s journey. She was in the valley for much of her life. And yet, she found the strength to move through it by relying on her ancestors, her family, and herself.

I didn’t know what I was capable of emotionally and physically before playing Sterling. I found a new sense of confidence in myself because of her. I drove a race car because of her.

PC: You have a background in both science and theater, two disciplines that may seem worlds apart but are both rooted in observation and curiosity. How do those two sides of you complement one another, and how have they shaped the way you approach character work?
Madison: I love that you pointed out that both are rooted in observation and curiosity. When approaching a character, I often approach it like I would a research paper. I start with my primary source: the script. Then I look for secondary sources: the director’s past work, the writer’s work, the character description, and references within the script. I use those secondary sources as a lens through which to analyze the character.

After that, I let my imagination wander. I explore my character’s past, the music she would listen to, her middle name, and the thoughts she might have. I use all of that to weave together a throughline. The most important part for me, however, is that once I’m on set, I have to trust the work and let it all go.

PC: Beyond the emotional journey, this role demanded a great deal of technical preparation, especially learning to drive a vintage Lotus 51-C. How did working with the filmmakers and stunt team help you bridge that preparation with the emotional performance, and how did getting behind the wheel deepen your understanding of Sterling’s journey?
Madison: Driving the Lotus 51-C was a dream come true. Unironically, Cars is in my top five favorite movies. At some point in my teenage years, I started telling people that if I could have any job other than the one I was pursuing at the time, which was becoming an astronaut, I would be a race car driver. So, before I even saw the Lotus in person, I was hooked.

The day after I got the part, training for the Lotus began. Stewart Bartley, the owner and racer of the car, led the car team. Before I arrived on set, he sent me in-depth videos and operation guides. I had a sense of where everything was and how the car worked, but I had to actually get behind the wheel to fully understand it. I first got behind the wheel of the Lotus in a motel parking lot as a group of traveling electrical linemen watched. It was a hilarious way to learn how to drive a race car, but the onlookers prepared me for the pressure of driving on film.

There are multiple long sequences in the film that require starting the Lotus, driving, stopping, reversing, and even changing costumes while operating the car. To get in and out of the Lotus, I had to remove the steering wheel. So, it’s not like hopping in and out of a regular vehicle. It’s a very intricate and technical process.

Because the Lotus 51-C is a vintage car, it has a personality. It would stall. The battery would die when it wasn’t running. And it wanted to go fast, always. I began to view the Lotus as a scene partner rather than a fussy old vehicle. It was better for everyone if the Lotus and I got along, so I started to treat it as a peer. Instead of fighting the car, I listened to it, adapted to it, and let its personality shape my own reactions. Eventually, we understood each other.

By the time filming wrapped, I felt like a Lotus whisperer. I got quite good at restarting the car when it stalled or died, and I’m particularly proud of a difficult three-point turn I managed on a back road. I love the Lotus. Our very real dynamic is part of what gave my performance truth. Sterling would have also struggled to get an older car running, and she wouldn’t have expected perfection.

PC: Rob Tregenza has such a distinct visual language as a filmmaker, where every frame feels incredibly intentional. What was it like collaborating with him, and how did his approach challenge or expand your own process as an actor?
Madison: Working with Rob was such a wonderful experience. I’m grateful he was one of the first filmmakers I collaborated with because I know his approach will influence the way I think about filmmaking and character for a long time.

Being on set and filming with Rob is a beautiful balance of choreography and natural behavior. Many scenes require incredible precision: hitting marks, changing costumes, and landing dialogue. However, because of the extended takes, they also require an enormous amount of trust in your fellow cast and crew.

Filming began to feel like a dance. Everyone has a part to play and marks to hit, and you need everyone to make it happen. That experience taught me that precision does not have to come at the expense of spontaneity. In fact, the structure can actually create the freedom to play.

PC: FAST marks your first leading role in a feature film. Looking back on the experience, what surprised you most about carrying a feature in that capacity, and what’s the biggest lesson you’ll carry with you into the next one?
Madison: Actually, FAST is my second feature, but my first lead! I had the privilege of filming an independent horror feature in 2025 as a co-lead.

What surprised me most is that finding the character once is not enough. I had to find her daily. With both projects, I found myself asking the same question: How do I keep a character consistent? A feature takes much longer to film, and I wasn’t sure how to maintain my character’s point of view over that amount of time.

With Sterling, I crafted a playlist ahead of time that reminded me of her. Listening to it on the way to set or while getting into character was extremely beneficial in helping me return to her core. I also prep my script like I would a play. I break it down scene by scene and have a running outline that I can refer back to while on set.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was to trust myself. I know my lines, and I know my character. Once I’m on set, I get to put it all together and just play. People shift every day in real life, and characters do too.

PC: As you look ahead to the next chapter of your career, what kinds of stories are you most excited to tell, and what themes or ideas do you find yourself continually drawn to?
Madison: I want to continue exploring physically demanding and emotionally stretching characters. As an audience member, I love leaving a movie feeling like I have uncovered a new part of myself. I am drawn to complicated, unconventional characters that showcase parts of ourselves we don’t always choose to explore, even the dark parts.

Whether that’s a woman rebuilding herself from the ground up or something as far from Sterling as an astronaut finally making it into orbit, I want roles that live in the body as much as the mind. Ultimately, I want to be part of films that challenge our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. That’s what I’m searching for when I act: a deeper understanding of this life that I get to be a part of.

To keep up with Madison, follow her on Instagram.

Photo Credit: Kelly Balch