It’s no secret no one has any idea what’s going to happen next on Mad Men — and those “scenes from next week” aren’t going to clue you in at all. But the most notoriously tight-lipped cast couldn’t resist sharing a few personal details when Jon Hamm, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Jared Harris, and creator Matthew Weiner visited James Lipton at the famed Actors Studio (Elisabeth Moss was shooting a movie out of the country).

Below are five of the most tantalizing bits of info we learned in the hour-long broadcast.

1. Some were concerned Jon wasn’t sexy enough to play Don. Weiner said some people (presumably studio execs) didn’t think Hamm was sexy enough for the role, and he had six or seven auditions before he snagged the part. Rebuttal: This photo. Or this. Or this.

2. The series time frame was based around when the Pill became available. Any Mad Men fan remembers Peggy’s uncomfortable doctor visit after her first few days on the job, after Joan advised her to get on the Pill as quickly as possible. Weiner shared that the Pill becoming available was the event that he settled on to kick off the series, and set the exact time frame. Speaking of Joan, the fan-favorite was originally slated to be just a guest-star. Can you picture the show without her pithy observations or her work relationship with Peggy? Can you imagine what Roger would be like without her around?

3. Sally Draper stole the show. Although she wasn’t around for the full chat (see item number 5) Kiernan Shipka made a quick appearance and showed why she’s the most talented preteen ever. After she shared she’d been taking ballet and ballroom dancing classes for the past five years (seriously, when does that girl even sleep?), Lipton asked the 12-year-old to “bust a move” and the ballerina obliged — to audience cheers.

4. Don Draper was like Hamm’s father. Hamm’s alter-ego goes to some dark places, and Hamm shared that he drew on difficult experiences from his own childhood (both parents passed away when he was young). He also discussed that his father “was in many ways Don Draper” and “[He] had a lot of unsettled sadness that exists in Don as well.”

5. No matter how good John Slattery is as Roger, he will never outlive Sex and the City. It cracked me up that during Slattery’s bio portion, the only thing highlighted was his infamous Sex guest spot as Carrie’s politico boyfriend with an interesting fetish. He’ll never live that disturbing role down.

Everyone knows the Inside the Actors Studio clips are extremely edited for broadcast, and the original chat is much longer — especially in group situations like last night. Note to Bravo: Consider putting the entire interview online. I would pay!

Beyond that, we got fun tossaway tidbits like the fact that not only was Harris’s father actor Richard Harris, but his stepfather was Rex Harrison (Professor Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady). Kartheiser came across more goofball than the petulant man-child he plays on the show, and Matthew Weiner jokingly answered Lipton’s question ‘What do you all smoke on the show?’ with ‘Weed.’ (Actual answer: herbal cigarettes.)

Source

Bravo Media pulls the curtain back on Madison Avenue as the cast and creator of the smash-hit television series MAD MEN embark on the “Inside The Actors Studio” stage, premiering Monday, May 14th at 7pm et/pt.

Currently in its 18th season, host James Lipton is joined by cast members Jon Hamm, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Jared Harris, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Kiernan Shipka and creator Matt Weiner. From Jon Hamm’s troubled youth to the origin of January Jones’ name to Kiernan Shipka’s secret talents, Lipton leaves no stone unturned as he courses through the lives of each actor.

QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE:

- “Someone said [Jon] wasn’t sexy.” – Creator Matt Weiner on why Jon Hamm needed to audition seven times.

- “It was my first work with a prosthetic penis.” – Vincent Kartheiser on his first big role in the movie “Another Day in Paradise”

- “I am not a consistent viewer yet, but I’m not completely in the dark about the show either.” – Kiernan Shipka, age 12, on how she isn’t allowed to watch full episodes of the show yet because she is so young.

Source

Q: I read you auditioned for Midge. How did you end up as Joan?

A: I actually auditioned first for Joan and then was brought back to audition for Midge and then was brought back to audition for Joan again. [Laughs] … I told my manager, “I want to be a part of this project, and I’ll take whichever sticks because they’re both amazing roles.”

Q: What, for you, is the most unexpected thing that’s happened on the series so far?

A: Betty being fat. I mean I think that’s a shocker for everyone… January [Jones] was so game and thought it was a really cool storytelling technique and so she was enthusiastic about it and a true sport.

Q: You normally have to wear really elaborate era-authentic underwear. Did that change this season with the more modern styles?

A: No, that stayed. Although the first couple of episodes I have a little extra baby bump…so I had a little cushion to look like post-delivery baby weight.

Q: Joan is effectively a single mother. Did you do any research into what life was like in the ’60s for a woman in that position?

A: To be quite honest, it’s the same as any woman who is trying to raise a baby on her own [today]… Babies are a tremendous amount of work, and you need help.

Q: How many babies were you working with?

A: There were about six “Joan babies.” They can only work for like twenty minutes at a time, I think, is the law. So once one baby’s time is up, we bring in a new baby… I can tell a difference between them, but hopefully the audience can’t! [Laughs]

Q: You’re in pajamas and a maternity dress in the season opener. Was that an adjustment from Joan’s normally dressier looks?

A: What we ended up choosing was really, really cute, but you should have seen the options that I tried on before we decided on that one… There were some that looked like shirts that nurses would wear; really sort of loud prints and really weird, stiff fabric.

Q: Is there any other character’s outfit that you wish could have been for Joan?

A: I think Peyton List, who plays Jane [Sterling], always wears outrageously amazing, high fashion outfits. Through the seasons, I’m always like, “Oh gosh, what she’s wearing is beautiful.”… The red and white dress she wore to [Don's party] in the premiere was amazing. It was stunning.

Q: The scene last season where Joan and Peggy finally have their bonding moment was incredible. Did it feel like an “at long last” moment?

A: I don’t think it had the full impact on me until I saw it. [Elisabeth Moss] and I watched the episode together and I got teary-eyed. It really was a long time coming… It was a moment of respect and a moment of two smart women talking about office politics and talking about their lives in a completely normal way.

Q: You’ve now worked on the big screen, the small screen, and even a video game. What’s your favorite medium?

A: I love each and every [role I play] and I feel so lucky that I get to try all of them. But just as far as trust and quality and knowing and loving the people that I work with, it’s Mad Men.

Q: Have any of the other characters you’ve played reminded you of Joan?

A: I think I’ve been really lucky in that Joan is really a one-of-a-kind character. She’s not a stereotype and you don’t just see roles like that in every script you get. People have asked me if I’ve worried about being typecast, but there is no “type” for Joan.

Source

Gallery Link
[504] Mad Men > Season Five > Screencaps > 5×04 – “Mistery Date”

Fat Betty is great and all, but when are we going to get a juicy scene between Roger and Joan on Mad Men? I want to know more about that baby! — Chris
ADAM: OK, OK, don’t go all Pete Campbell on me! According to John Slattery, the baby issue may be a moot point. “[Joan's] a married person, and she has her own restrictions,” he says. “You have to remember it is still the mid-’60s. That was a time where having kids outside of marriage was taboo.” But isn’t Roger the slightest bit upset that Joan lied about the abortion? “It is not forgotten,” he says. “You know, the situation remains: She’s had this baby, and the baby is not going away.”

Gallery Link
[010] Public Appearances > Appearances from 2012 > March 29: Film Independent At LACMA – Live Read of ‘The Big Lebowski’