Movies - TV
Matthew Weiner Had
A Jarring Reaction To Jon Hamm's Mad Men Audition
By MICHAEL BOYLE
When Jon Hamm auditioned for “Mad Men’s” Don Draper, his good looks initially worked against him as showrunner Matthew Weiner thought the character wouldn’t feel authentic if he was too attractive. However, Weiner revealed in an interview that there was a similarity that Hamm had with Draper that made him perfect for the role.
In the series, Draper lost his parents at a young age and was raised by an abusive stepmother who he later ran away from. After Hamm’s first audition, Weiner said to the casting director, “That man was not raised by his parents,” which turned out to be true – Hamm was raised by his grandmother when he lost his mother at age 10 and had a difficult relationship with his father until he passed away when Hamm was 20.
Weiner explained that he saw how Hamm brought not only “the vulnerability” that the role required, but also “the wit.” And in the end, Hamm’s handsomeness was also a win as Weiner said, “The most valuable thing on television, and everywhere, is when you find someone who is physically attractive and funny. It's very unusual."