Last fall, Justin Zell's unique interpretation of Joan Holloway so impressed series creator Matthew Weiner and producer Scott Hornbacher that he won a walk-on role in the Season 3 Premiere. He talks to AMCtv.com about that experience.

Q: What was it like shooting your scene outside the hotel?

A: I'm what people would call "featured background," right behind two actors, between their heads while the action was going on. Jon Hamm and Bryan Batt were in the scene that I was in, but not necessarily right next to each other. I wasn't told much about what was going on -- and that's what's great about the show: There's just so much done without dialogue; there are just these people emoting in that way that they do. So it was a scene where I was behind a crowd of people looking at something, and Don Draper was looking at the same thing and thinking about it. Bryan Batt was in the background looking at him.

Q: What's your costume in the scene?

A: I was wearing V-neck shirt with a collar, like something Brando wore in On the Waterfront, with gray slacks and suspenders. They rolled up the sleeves so my T-shirt was kinda sticking out. Some people said I looked like a prizefighter -- but that's not my role. I remember thinking after: That was casual, but I felt dressed up! Because of the suspenders and everything, but also the way they wore their pants, at least an inch above the bellybutton ... I felt like I was in that time period. It really transports you.

Q: Once you were dressed, did you put a bag over your head and evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses?

A: Not exactly, but I did shave. There was a discussion about that. They thought it might stick out too much otherwise. A lot of the background actors didn't have facial hair, because it just wasn't that popular [at the time]. If you look at the rest of the cast, only one person has a beard, Paul Kinsey.

Q: Have you done background acting before?

A: I have had a little bit of experience with background work, but this was even more intense. This was the real, real deal. They kept moving the background around to get the picture they wanted, and changing the way people walked. One of the assistant directors handling background players would give us notes: "You're not moving enough," "You're moving too little." You don't want to look like you're just cutouts behind them, but you also don't want to be moving too much. But everyone was so nice, including the background players who figured out that something was a little different about me.

Q: So you weren't singled out as the contest winner?

A: No, I had to tell them. They asked, "Why did you get introduced to Jon Hamm and take your picture with him?"

Q: Who else did you get to meet? Did you get to meet Christina Hendricks?

A: Unfortunately no. She wasn't shooting, but I did get to meet Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, and Vincent Kartheiser.

Q: Did you get a tour of the Sterling Cooper offices?

A: We, meaning my girlfriend and I, got to see all of the sets. They were actually shooting at the Sterling Cooper offices when we visited, so every few minutes, we had to be totally still.

Q: Is there anything about the experience that surprised you?

A: It was surprising that there was still a lot of stuff that was surprising. I walked past the wall of the airplane that Don is in near end of Season 2, and I looked at it, and thought, Oh my god, for some reason I just assumed that was a real plane. All it is is four seats, just enough for the shot. And you forget it's a set: You walk down one street, it's Brooklyn, and the next, it's Greenwich Village. So it was surprising all around, but the whole experience, the whole trip was so exciting. I didn't really sleep much until after it was all done -- the excitement kept me up.

To see this year's video contest to win a walk-on role, click here.