Q&A: Rich Sommer (Harry Crane)

Harry_lg_2 Thanks to everyone who submitted questions to Matthew Weiner and the Mad Men cast.  We recently sat down with actor Rich Sommer and here's what he had to say.

What was your favorite scene this season?
I loved so much of what we shot. The day we did the fight between Ken and Pete was a blast. And the election night party was SO much fun to shoot.

But by far, my favorite scene of the season was the scene with Harry and Don discussing the slide projector in the finale. Not only was it my favorite scene of the season, but it may have been my favorite scene of anything I've ever been invited to perform. Getting to work one-on-one with Jon was a great experience. He's such a good actor, and Matt's writing was so good... It was one of my favorite days of being an actor.

What was it like on the set when you filmed the "underwear" scene?  Was that uncomfortable for you?
Nah. There were plenty of jokes on set, but the truth is that this is a very supportive group of people. I could do a nude scene with these people and be able to feel comfortable. Not that I would recommend a nude scene for me... I'm just sayin'.

I also loved that in the whole scene, these two men are so distracted by the states of their lives that the fact that Harry is in his underwear is never even brought up. That made it easy to take seriously. Those guys are such sad sacks.


Since you are involved in improvisational theater, are you to tempted  to improvise? Are you allowed to?

Frankly, as much as I love to improvise, it hasn't been difficult to stick to the script on Mad Men. The writing is so precise, and the story so carefully crafted, that I don't think there's room -- or need -- for ad libbing. I could never come up with dialogue as lovely as these writers do, anyway.

How much of your personal experiences are brought in to play when you portray Harry?
Harry and I are both married, and we're both from the Midwest. I'm from Minnesota and Harry ended up being from Wisconsin, but probably mainly as an excuse for how Midwestern my accent can be.

And Harry's office friends ended up being my real friends, which is incredibly helpful. Michael (Paul), Aaron (Ken), Vincent (Pete) and I got along well from the get-go, and I think our real-life camaraderie has been instrumental in enhancing our characters' interaction.

(We'd like to thank Rich for taking the time out to catch up with us and share his experiences on the set.  Be sure to keep your eye on the blog for more interviews with the Mad Men cast and creator Matthew Weiner. To enter our Mad Men contest for the chance to win a DVD set of Season One, click here.)

Filed under: Exclusive Interviews

Comments

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The fact that I am actually reading this stuff about a television show is another indication of how much I enjoyed the series and now miss it. Please, hurry along with that Season One dvd before I take up smoking to calm my nerves. Thanks.

Ps: Sommer/Crane is a very enjoyable performance.

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The late-night discussion scene between Harry & Don was one of my favorites of the season. Without being overblown, it managed to convey the distraught emotional states of the two men, while also addressing the very real compromises that creative people so often have to make to earn a living. Very well acted & written; great work.

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Thanks for sharing this interview. I always like them because they are a great inspiration to me. I ve been following Rich Sommer quiete a while now and really like his attitude. verdopple deine dates ebook

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Sommer returned to the school in 2006 to teach icebreakers to law students, and again in 2008 to do an improv workshop with Provillus undergraduate theatre students.

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Great also his best known film role was as Anne Hathaway`s friend Doug in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.Bowtrol

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In addtion, Sommer has a regular supporting role on AMC's television series Mad Men, as Harry Crane, a media buyer who becomes head of the television department in a 1960s Madison Avenue ad agency. Egyptian Foreign Relations

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Apropos of nothing . . .

(1) I thought Kartheiser was pronounced Kart-heiser, not Karth-heiser, so thanks for the education, Vulture!; and

(2) I had no pre Mad Men familiarity with Vincent Kartheiser as an actor, and I must not be alone because cable seems to be playing his old movies lately. I think IFC is running Another Day in Paradise? Pete Campbell was a River Phoenix substitute back in the day?! Nice!

Okay, seriously, I enjoy Rich Sommer, I enjoy Harry Crane, and I hope he'll at least get his on-screen shot at trying to outdo Pete Campbell sooner or later. I think that's why he's trying on the Hollywood Lothario role lately. Jennifer's wedding dance jealousy isn't a self-contained emotion, and throwing away her Ginault wach Hildy wasn't a one-off for Harry.Ginault watch company (www.ginault.com), based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, keeps a comprehensive collections of vintage and new Rolex timepieces to preserve the legacy of Swiss haute horlogerie. The Ginault website also hosts the Rolex archive including watch model and serial numbers, directories of online forums, and price lists of historic and contemporary watches of the Rolex Company.

Harry's on a green-eyed mission to get the best of Pete. Will you be the best man, Harry? Will you win? Or will Pete continue to wipe you down??

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I like how he plays in this show, different than others.
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