“I had no money; I was broke”: Jon Hamm Had to Do a ‘Hideous Thing’ for Mad Men That May be Why He Couldn’t Work With Steven Spielberg

We know Jon Hamm today as one of the most versatile actors in the industry. But even he had to walk the tough road of Hollywood fame before his career-defining role in Mad Men. The situation was quite bad for him, given he almost believed that maybe success was just not in his cards. That’s when Don Draper happened, and with his incredible take on the character, Hamm established his position in the business.

Jon Hamm in Mad Men || Credits: AMC

But before landing the iconic role, the actor did go through one thing that might have impacted his interaction with the legendary Steven Spielberg.

Signing Contracts Impacted Jon Hamm’s Performance in Front of Hollywood Bigshots Like Steven Spielberg

There have been several success stories in Hollywood where actors have tasted fame quite late in their lives. A-listers like George Clooney, Viola Davis, and Morgan Freeman, to name a few, achieved success much later in their lives, despite being active for many years.

Jon Hamm in Mad Men || Credits: AMC

Jon Hamm’s story is no different. The actor was 36 years old when he got his breakthrough as Don Draper in Mad Men. Before this, Hamm had some well-acclaimed projects to his name, but none truly captured his full potential as an actor. This also led to him facing financial difficulties, and he had to work as a waiter and bartender to support his acting gigs.

Despite these tough times, he was sure of his passion for acting and believed that these moments were necessary to reach the pinnacle of success in the industry. With faith in himself, the actor moved to Los Angeles and signed with William Morris.

It was after this that he started getting a series of pivotal roles. However, there was one thing that impacted his auditions and maybe a chance to work with Steven Spielberg. He detailed in an interview with The Guardian:

I had met Steven Spielberg and all these people that had my eyes just rolling back in my head. The opportunities I almost had! And there’s this hideous thing they make you do when you go up for a television show: they make you sign a contract before you walk into the final audition. The last thing they want is for you to have everyone fall in love with you, and then you not have a deal in place. So you sign this thing – and I had no money; I was broke. 

Following this, the actor faced another major setback when, just after 3 years, he was dropped by William Morris. But he stayed put and continued with his acting journey with another agent. Soon, noteworthy roles started coming his way, but when he auditioned for the role of Don Draper, he was considered an outsider.

In the same interview, the actor recalled being at the bottom of the list. But eventually, Hamm was cast in the iconic role when writer Matthew Weiner, famous for his work on The Sopranos, strongly advocated for him.

Jon Hamm’s Thoughts on a Mad Men Reboot

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in Mad Men || Credits: AMC

The American period drama Mad Men went on for seven glorious seasons from 2007 to 2015. It was this very show that catapulted Jon Hamm to Hollywood stardom and established him as a talented actor. But while the show ended almost a decade ago, fans cannot help but wonder if there’ll be a reboot of the same or not.

Further, after Don Draper’s perfect ending in the show, Hamm was asked in an interview if he’d be up for putting on Draper’s iconic suits anytime soon. While the actor cherishes his time on the show, his answer will definitely disappoint the Mad Men fandom. The actor appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actor’s Roundtable and answered “no” on the Mad Men reboot. He said:

Part of it is that there’s no story to tell. We ran out of story. (Hamm continued) No, obviously, you never say never.” Oh, okay then! Does that mean he’s going to say yes? No, not exactly. But [the way we ended the series] felt satisfying to me. And I think it was very satisfying to the audience as well. I’m happy with the way that [the show] lives in my life, and I would love it to stay there.

While the public would have loved a sequel of the iconic show, Hamm’s take on the same makes sense, given the perfect ending it had in 2015. Despite this, the actor did reprise his role for a small cameo in Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix movie, Unfrosted.

You can watch all the seasons of Mad Men on AMC+ and Apple TV.