by Fred Topel
“You can still be direct without being a total douchebag”
– Jon Hamm
AMC’s hit series Mad Men turned the channel into a legitimate network for original programming. Their previous claim to fame was simply showing old films, as their title American Movie Classics indicated. Harkening back to a more “classic” era, Mad Men takes place in the world of 1960s advertising. The smoldering period piece stars Jon Hamm as Don Draper, the top ad man at Sterling Cooper. The world of the office features lots of smoking, suits and pre-sexual harassment sexism.
“I guess the surprising part is it’s a bluntness, sort of leavened with politeness,” said Hamm. “There was certainly an ethic of politesse or politeness that people had and yet, they were often very blunt or very direct with their feelings. They were very outward. It wasn’t hidden underneath a layer of political correctness… so I think that’s the really tricky part of it, and I think most challenging to sort of see and be like, ‘Whoa, okay, right out there with it, huh?'”
Just one week before his Emmy nomination, SuicideGirls caught up with Hamm as he greeted press at the Beverly Hilton hotel to preview season two, beginning July 27. Season two jumps ahead two years, as part of series creator Matthew Weiner’s plan to cover the entire ’60s in five seasons. We left Draper just beginning to reconnect with his wife after a season-long affair with a mistress, and the revelation that he stole a war buddy’s identity. Specific plot lines remain secret, but there is still much discussion to be had in the world of Mad Men.
Read our exclusive interview with Jon Hamm on SuicideGirls.com.
