'Mad Men' reflections: The cast looks back
As AMC's Mad Men begins its last seven episodes (Sunday, 10 p.m. ET/PT), the actors who have brought the 1960s New York advertising world to life talk to Paste BN about some of their favorite episodes and other memorable happenings.
Elisabeth Moss
(Peggy Olson)
Favorite episode: Season 4's The Suitcase, which features Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Peggy covering a lot of emotional ground as they create a Samsonite ad campaign. "It's a beautiful episode, the idea of having two characters come together after all the stuff that happened with her baby and him knowing that and her knowing about his flaws. Finally, you get these two characters together and they talk. It felt like a play."
Favorite prop: "The red Thermos that is always in our office that she never uses. I took that and took this ring that I've worn in every episode. I took this purple chair that was in my office and a typewriter and a telephone."
Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell)
Favorite prop: "There were some classics: the Chip 'n Dip, the rifle. The pajamas were great."
Pete's best trait: "Loyalty. And he also has the ability to do the unpopular thing. I think that has a lot of value in a company like Sterling Cooper.Sometimes, you need a guy who's willing to do the dirty deed, if you will."
Pete's worst trait: "Petulance. Bitterness. Entitlement. White privilege, (but) they all have that, right?"
John Slattery (Roger Sterling)
Funniest moment: Roger "singing Frere Jacques, making fun of Don Draper" after wife Megan's provocative singing performance in the Season 5 opener. "I couldn't do it without laughing."
Roger's best traits: "Loyalty, but also an ability to size up a situation and make a choice and live with it, even through regret. And pragmatism. I don't think he ever tried to be perfect." Worst? "Indulgence. He's good at that. I don't know how easy he'd be to live with, but it would be a lot of fun."
Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris)
Dark moment: "It was pretty overwhelming for Joan to have the father of her baby think she's getting an abortion, but she goes and keeps this child. To be alone through all of that and making that decision on her own I think was a dark place for her."
Lighter dark moment: From Season 3's Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency. "It's still a dark moment where Don and Joan are in the hospital (after a lawn mower mangles an executive's foot). And we're sort of sitting there making jokes about it, which I think is so funny. It's what people do. In these dark, dark moments, you make these sick jokes."
January Jones (Betty Francis)
On plot secrecy: "The last script was missing the last few pages. After the table read, (creator Matthew Weiner) brought the core group of us into his office to read the last bit and we were all happy and emotional about it. I think we're all excited for it to air, so we can talk about it."
On '60s fashion: "If it's a period piece, it's always so much easier to immediately feel different than yourself when you look in the mirror. For Betty, the clothes told a story of their own, how she was feeling or who she was married to. She was more of a Grace Kelly with Don, and more of a Jackie Kennedy when she was with Henry (Christopher Stanley)."
Betty's best trait: "Her resilience. And maybe her naivete in a way. I think it's very interesting that Betty's the only character you see reading anything having to do with feminism. She knows what's going on, she's just happy with the path she's taking."
Betty's worst traits: "Her impatience, her temper. She's a bit childlike that way."
Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper)
Maturation moment: When Sally smokes a cigarette, striking a Betty-like pose, in Season 7's mid-season finale. "It was very cool and it felt very surreal to be doing that. This felt very milestone-ish. It was amazing to think (Mad Men) started when I was six and now I'm here as the same character smoking a cigarette outside alone in this very retro way."
Shocking moment: Catching her father having an affair with a neighbor in Season 6's Favors. "It was traumatic and she was disgusted. It changed her view on adults. She felt betrayed. That season she was on an (upswing) and that was heartbreaking."