Mad Men is one of the best TV shows to air during the golden age of cable television, lasting seven critically acclaimed seasons. The series was created by Matthew Weiner, who also served as the showrunner for all seven seasons.
Jon Hamm played the lead role of Don Draper, with the series featuring a cast of relatively unknown actors, especially in supporting roles. Weiner admitted that this process was intentional and described his casting approach as “high-risk” during an interview.
From Weiner’s words, it is evident that despite the showrunner’s high-risk casting strategy, there was one common factor that helped the series work. As a result, I am finally convinced why Bryan Cranston felt that Hamm was more deserving of the Best Actor Emmy, and here is why.
Mad Men creator admits his high-risk casting choices worked only because of Jon Hamm
Matthew Weiner created the period drama series Mad Men, which follows Don Draper, the creative director of an advertising agency with a dark past. The series premiered in 2007 and received critical acclaim in its seven-season run.
During an interview with Fast Company, Weiner spoke about the show’s casting choices, revealing that he did not want any famous faces that would break the audience’s immersion. As a result, Weiner opted for what he described as a “high-risk” casting strategy.
The showrunner explained that he cast multiple actors who played integral parts in the emotional development of a scene, such as the multiple love interests of Jon Hamm‘s lead character. However, he never had time to have a chemistry read between Hamm and them.
It’s him. He’s the common element in that. The high-risk casting we did on the show was fine because of Jon Hamm.
Weiner made the above statement, crediting Hamm for making most of his casting choices work and helping maintain the show’s realism he was striving for. Furthermore, he also praised Hamm for setting a positive tone on the sets by being punctual and prepared for the scenes, which was an added benefit to him as a showrunner.
Mad Men creator proves Bryan Cranston was right about Jon Hamm deserving the Emmy
During Mad Men‘s critically acclaimed run, Hamm was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category several times at the Emmy Awards. However, he lost the award multiple times to Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in the equally acclaimed Breaking Bad.
During an interview, Cranston claimed that Hamm deserved the award more, arguing that the actor had the harder role. After Weiner’s comments, I am convinced that Cranston was right, especially since Hamm was tasked with being the only constant in a sea of changing elements.
The recipe for any good show is consistency, and Hamm brought exactly that to the table for seven seasons. Since Weiner wanted to make the series as realistic as possible, Hamm had to be on point with his performance, setting the tone for other actors to follow. Therefore, it is safe to say that Hamm did have a hard job in the series.
Nonetheless, Hamm was rewarded for his consistency when he finally won an Emmy for the final season of Mad Men, which aired a year after Breaking Bad concluded. However, it is a shame that Hamm did not win the award more than once for such a brilliant performance that will go down as one of the best of all time.
Mad Men is streaming on AMC+.
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