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Q&A - Talia Balsam (Mona Sterling)

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Talia Balsam plays Roger Sterling's long-suffering wife Mona, and she also happens to be the real-life wife of John Slattery, the actor who plays Roger. In an exclusive interview with AMCtv.com, she discusses the scene where Mona storms into Don's office at the end of "Six Month Leave," as well as her take on Mona's fashion sense.

Q: The scene where Mona reveals that Roger is leaving her felt very explosive -- did you want to play it in a very specific way?

A: There's a tone for that show. In another kind of show, that scene could have been more histrionic, tearful. In a scene like that -- I know it was about two in the morning when I did it -- the work in it for me was making sure that it wasn't over the top. I think we can all imagine the consequences of someone's husband doing that kind of thing and the repercussions of it -- aside from the emotions. For a woman of that status to be divorced and to not have a husband, the tendency would be to just melt down -- but I think her breaking down in an office wouldn't be something she'd want someone to see. Maybe she leaves that scene and goes to her car and has a meltdown.

Q: Your husband [John Slattery] has been asked this question -- what's your take on playing the on-screen spouse of your real-life spouse?

A: I think it's been great. Aside from him being my husband, I just think he's a wonderful actor. It certainly is easier on a lot of levels. Obviously these two people have had some experience with each other, so that takes the getting-to-know-you out of it. We were saying in the first scene we ever did last year [in "Ladies Room"] that I don't think we ever looked at each other like married people! There are some things that make it harder. Our lives in real life are very, very different than those two, so it does require you to use your imagination. I hope to do more with him

Q: Can you describe Mona's fashion sense to me?

A: I feel it's a bit of a work in progress. If you notice, I have different hairdos in almost every scene. Because Mona probably looks at European magazines, I'm hoping that if I'm back on, she has a little more fashion-forward or European sense to her wardrobe, as elegant as I think she is. But [costume designer] Janie Bryant is so brilliant that I'm in good hands. It's really a relief because that's not always the case.

Q: Your father, Martin Balsam, was an Oscar- and Tony-winning actor. Do you remember his best supporting actor Oscar win for A Thousand Clowns (1965)?

A: I was sitting in my bed in California -- I remember that very vividly -- and the two ugly troll dolls on my television set. I'm sure at the time I didn't know what the award was, but I knew it was something important because I was allowed to stay up. I have his Oscar in my house now.

Posted by Carolyn Koo
December 3, 2008 11:03am

Filed under: Exclusive Interviews

Comments

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By SCD&Pfan on December 3, 2008 2:06 PM

Yay,"Mona"/Talia...love love love your character and your acting. Top notch!!!

Hope they write you back in...I miss Mona a lot.

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By silverminx on December 4, 2008 9:24 AM

Martin Balsam! Wow, what a class act he was. I remember his so familiar face so well. May I also say you and your husband are one first class act also. What a pleasure to read your comments on the series and I so agree with your praise of Ms. Jane Bryant and her job so expertly done.

You're so right, the culture was so different then. The most important thing was not to make a scene in public. Nevermind that Mona probably tore the drapes off the windows when she got home, but never, never in public. It's little touches like this that make the whole MadMen series so authentic and believable.

Ms. Balsam, you and your husband are such a delight to watch and I wish you many happy broken legs, if this is an acceptable thing to say for a TV series and not a Broadway show. But, I'm sure you get my heartfelt meaning.

I sincerely hope for a continuation of the show into a third season; fingers (and toes) crossed! It would be such a wonderful thing to see you both again. It's certainly one of the most intriguing threads of the show, I'm dying to see how our very clever Mona handles herself - this gal oozes smarts!

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By Nana Benz on December 4, 2008 2:35 PM

Hello to Talia
If you've read many of our maddict comments, you'll know that we all hugely admire your work.. We see a bright future for Mona and have taken it upon ourselves to write you into new plot twists and turns... You and Mona are gonna be a force to be reckonned with so stand by!!

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By monakv on December 11, 2008 10:12 AM

I absolutely love your character! I was sooo excited to learn that your character and I share the same first name! I have only seen a few Mona's on TV (ex. Who's the Boss) and it thrills me to see it used on this show! I hope to see more of your character in the future.

Mona

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By DavidLSteinhardt on June 28, 2009 1:46 PM

What a delight to see you on Mad Men! The comedy in Mad Men is so between-the-lines, while the surface is frequently tragic, and I love seeing you walk that line, blaming Don Draper for Roger leaving Mona--so utterly wrong, but so truly spot-on.

And what a delight as well to have been a fellow passenger on a very recent flight from Ireland. As I said there, your star quality has been evident since your two classic Taxi episodes as Alex's daughter.

(The film I could not recall the title of was Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, which had such indelibly fine scene work between your perfectly transparent dad and the brilliant Joanne Woodward, even though, when I saw it at 12 or 13 in 1973, the film itself bored me. I've never watched it since, but in memory can follow his eyes darting around the room during one wrenching scene. Who was it who first said that acting is emoting in public? I knew Martin Balsam's pain clearly--strong, while weak--before I knew my own father's, and your dad's helped me see my own father's more clearly thereby.)

bohemia123@aol.com

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By Yuki on January 15, 2011 3:03 AM

Her mother is actress Joyce Van Patten, sister of Dick Van Patten, who is best known for his role as the dad on the 1970s TV series Eight is Enough.

Her ex-husband is George Clooney, to date unobtainable by any other woman on the planet.

Current husband John Slattery plays opposite her on AMC’s hit series, Mad Men.

Until recently, Balsam was best known as a sidelong reference in Clooney’s endless coverage. But the success of Mad Men is bringing new prominence in her own right.

Balsam plays Mona Sterling, the frosty ex-wife of Roger Sterling, her silver-haired husband in real life. She’s sardonic and elegant as she sports a Ginault, described by her husband in one episode as “a lioness.”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.


Her appearances, however, are rare treats. We’d love to see more of her on the show.

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By kumeli on January 22, 2011 3:36 AM

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By goodbloggers on February 9, 2011 6:08 AM

Talia blassam is very great woman Latest News