Jon Hamm played the role of the advertising executive Don Draper in the period drama series Mad Men. The AMC series was known for its style and the tragic story arc of Draper in the seven-season run. The show also won multiple Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards.
While Hamm gained worldwide fame for his role and had his breakthrough, he was reportedly not the first choice for the part and had to go through several auditions. The actor himself was reportedly unsure about whether he would be cast in the role as he had lost out on a role in The West Wing and went through a similar process.
Jon Hamm Was Not Sure He Would Be Cast In AMC’s Mad Men
Jon Hamm’s performance as Don Draper has been up there with several tragic protagonists on modern-day TV. His role has often been regarded in the same level as prominent TV heroes such as Walter White, Tony Soprano, and more. The actor even won the Golden Globe twice for the role and the Primetime Emmy once.
However, the actor was reportedly doubtful whether he would even get the role. Hamm was still a struggling actor at the time and only had a couple of minor roles under his belt before he auditioned for Mad Men. While he was impressed with the script, he reportedly remembered a similar instance on another show where he lost the role.
Hamm mentioned in an interview with THR that he auditioned for Sam Seaborn in The West Wing and had his hopes up before Rob Lowe was chosen. He said,
I got the Mad Men script, and I was like, ‘S*it, this is really good.’ And it’s a good lesson in not getting ahead of yourself because I remember thinking, ‘They’re never going to cast me.’ Because I’d had an experience with another really good script that I read and I was like, ‘I would do anything to get this part.’
However, the actor was reportedly brought in very early in the casting process and hence had no celebrity contenders to be an obstacle. He also mentioned that Lowe was briefly considered for the role of Don Draper but never auditioned.
Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, and James Gandolfini Reportedly Had Many Conversations About Their Characters
Don Draper, Tony Soprano, and Walter White are three of the greatest antiheroes in the history of TV. The three characters are known for their tragic stories with a fatal flaw that makes them the perfect anti-hero who falls after getting the highest win. They have also been portrayed by brilliant actors.
Jon Hamm mentioned that he, James Gandolfini, and Bryan Cranston had thoughts regarding how their characters were being perceived at times and how they were not supposed to be celebrated like that. He said to THR,
Jimmy Gandolfini, whom I knew a little bit, had a similar relationship to Tony Soprano, and Bryan Cranston had it with Walter White. The character got celebrated for the wrong reasons.
People thought that Don was this paragon of masculinity or whatever. There were so many think-pieces, and you go, ‘Wait, he was pretty f*cked up.’ And I was very happy with how Matt ended the story, but it was also hard.
Hamm also mentioned that he has a mentor-like relationship with Gandolfini’s son Michael and he had an AMC photoshoot with Cranston, where the latter was promoting Breaking Bad.
Mad Men is available to stream on AMC+.
