As the run-up to the Emmy nominations intensifiesVariety talks up Mad Men's top male contenders: lead actor Jon Hamm and supporting actors John Slattery and Vincent Kartheiser; the Hollywood Reporter for its part highlights Robert Morse as a potential guest star nominee.

Hamm -- who's usually cast as a nice guy -- discusses forcing himself to be "meaner" in his portrayal of Don Draper, recalling that being directed to be harsher to co-star Elisabeth Moss (Peggy) felt "like kicking a puppy." He seems to have figured out the role however with Variety calling his work the "signature performance for what many believe was the top frosh drama of the 2007-08 TV season." Mad Men has certainly raised Hamm's profile, and he notes that being an unknown quantity when the show started was an advantage. "A lot of people don't know me, and the sense of unknown and the sense of 'who is this guy' really informs my character," he says.

Slattery (who originally wanted to play Don Draper) and Kartheiser emphasize how Mad Men's ensemble setting has distinct benefits. Kartheiser, who cites the scene with his character's parents as among his favorites, is appreciative that "you don't feel like you're left out on a limb, while Slattery believes that "the better the actor you have opposite you is only going to make the team better."

A Broadway and Hollywood veteran, Morse (who won a Tony for his previous turn as an ad man in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) reveals he jumped at the chance to join the show. He claims not to have "worked in a long, long time. There aren't that many parts for a 74-year-old man."