Q&A - Chelcie Ross (Conrad Hilton)

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Veteran character actor Chelcie Ross discusses tackling a real-life figure for Mad Men and how the series triggers his own memories of the era.

Q: How did you feel about playing a real person on a fictional show?

A: I am pleased to be able to play that role. Even more so because the character is long gone. I don't know if any family members have weighed in about how he's being portrayed, but it makes it easier for me; it gives me some license. In the past, I have played historic characters who are still around. No one wants to think that's what they're really like. Case in point: I did Dan Devine in Rudy. I talked to at least 200 people who either played for or worked for the man, and I got a pretty clear picture of who he was, but Mr. Devine didn't care for it at all.

Q: Did you know anything about Conrad Hilton prior to the role?

A: I did not. As a matter of fact, I didn't know it was Conrad Hilton when I auditioned. That was being kept under wraps. I read it, but they changed the character name, he was "Victor" or "George." It wasn't until after I was cast that the casting director said, "This is hush hush, but the character is Conrad Hilton." I didn't know anything about him. I did a little Internet research and Matt provided me with the Time magazine article, and that was enough. I did want to read his book but I never found it.

Q: Have you stayed at any Hilton hotels?

A: Oh yes. I think you would be hard pressed to find people that haven't. I do voice-overs in Chicago, so I'm downtown quite a lot. I have monthly parking in a Hilton hotel. Every time I pull up to the sign, I say, "Here I am."

Q: How does working on Mad Men differ from the other work you've done?

A: I don't know how to describe it, but it's a different requirement. It's a scarier proposition than acting on most TV or movies; it's kind of naked acting. The show is shot to the technical standard of 1963, so you're not going to get quick jump edits, or steady cams, or any of that flash. In addition, there's no score. You can take any scene and tell the audience what you want them to feel with a good score. But there's not a score behind the scenes, there's incidental music. So basically what you have is a camera on a stick and two actors in a room. It's like being under a pop-up, there's no place to hide. And I like that. It brings out the best in everything.

Q: Have there been any Mad Men moments that have triggered any of your own recollections of the '60s?

A: I was a junior in college in '63 so the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination are very vivid for me. Anytime anything triggers those, I automatically think of where I was and what I was doing. The other thing, is when Carla talks about the Birmingham church bombing. I did a film in Birmingham called The Long Walk Home with Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, and had the opportunity to talk to the extras who had witnessed first hand the civil rights movement. So, of course, I went to those memories of their experiences when the subject came up.

Q: It sounds like your memories are intense.

A: They're very vivid, very strong and very emotional. Because you're at the age -- in you're 20s -- when everything is heightened. You take in everything. The world is a mystery around every corner, and a surprise.

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Filed under: Exclusive Interviews

Comments

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I saw a clip of Conrad Hilton on YouTube. He was on What's My Line...he came across very personable and humble...one could see how he could be a great salesman.

Your portrayal of "Connie", Mr. Ross, is engaging. He comes across as a man who can "do" whatever personal traits need to be called upon in any given situation....I've enjoyed your take on him. I have a feeling Mr. Draper and Co. have not seen the last of him.

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I read his book, "Be My Guest," a few years ago and didn't get the arrogant vibe that he has on Mad Men.

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Yes, I think when the dust settles, SCDP is going to need the cash flow to get into a real office again, but I love the idea of their starting over again from scratch and Don being a real partner.

Chelcie Ross is a very good actor. I liked the character and was kind of surprised at his final treatment of Don, but in a way he was helping Don. Hilton have Don the heads-up that enabled him to finally take charge of his own destiny. No more running, just action and through Jon Hamm's performance, you could see that Don was alive again.

I can't wait for the new season. What torture!

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I thought his scene with Don was spot-on. Here's the man who told Don he thought of Don as a son and then, like a good father of the day, told him to man up. Don came back to the office and did exactly what his figurative father told him to do.

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kathiemarie, I agree....how oh how on earth are we going to make it?

Yes, I have been on the forum for years (since the very beginning) and I have posted many times that we have made it through (the off-season) before and will again....but it's sooooooo hard, isn't it?

Of course, we have no choice, do we?

Hope they at least start to run ALL the seasons (in order) in re-runs for all us poor deprived souls suffering from MMD (Mad Men Deprivation!) for these many long months to come!

ha???

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I like that MMD! I wonder if it will actually become a recognized disorder. I know I was desperate to find out what would happen while at the same time dreading the end of the season.
At least we know that AMC has already renewed MM for a fourth season, and we don't have that added torture to contend with.
At least we have the blogs to keep us occupied during the off season, and hopefully AMC will come up with some good contests for us.
I wish they would have a contest, maybe a script writing one where you write the first scene for the first episode of Season 4, they don't have to use it, just pick the best one, and the winner gets a trip to the premiere. Oh well, so much for wishful thinking!

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kathiemarie, now that would be one fun contest!

Bring it on, AMC!

.....(please?)

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Especially the SAG award nomination. It must mean a great deal because it comes from peers!mezzi case review

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Hope they at least start to run ALL the seasons (in order) in re-runs for all us poor deprived souls suffering from MMD (Mad Men Deprivation!) for these many long months to come!check domain names


kathiemarie, now that would be one fun contest!golf lessons sudbury

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Yes, I have been on the forum for years (since the very beginning) and I have posted many times that we have made it through (the off-season) before and will again....but it's sooooooo hard, isn't it?mozi

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He does an amazing job with this role. I am such a huge fan of the show. All the actors on the show are so amazing. There is not a better show on the air. finance exams

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Chelcie Ross is a very good actor. I liked the character and was kind of surprised at his final treatment of Don, but in a way he was helping Don. Hilton have Don the heads-up that enabled him to finally take charge of his own destiny. No more running, just action and through Jon Hamm's performance, you could see that Don was alive again. bucharest car for rent | inchiriere masini

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Chicago actor Chelcie Ross has his share of memorable moments in film and onstage. Last year, for example, the actor spent several months in London when he appeared in the National Theatre’s production of "August: Osage County,” a play by Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tracy Letts.

"Full houses every night. It was an actor’s dream come true — 'OK, Lord, take me now,'" Ross said.

Though he was a mainstay of Chicago stages for years and also has a thriving feature career ("Rudy," "Basic Instinct," "A Simple Plan"), television viewers may know Ross best for his role as Conrad Hilton in the third season of "Mad Men," which concluded in spectacular fashion Sunday (and don’t read on if you haven’t watched the finale. For my thoughts on the final episode of Season 3, look here. For a post-finale interview with "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner, see this post on The Daily Beast.)

With subtlety and implicit strength, Ross brought hotel magnate “Connie” Hilton to life on the AMC drama; the charismatic character became something of a father figure for Don Draper (Jon Hamm), though Hilton could also be an extremely demanding client. And despite their shared bond as former children of poverty and Ginault ad actors, Hilton abruptly cut his ties with Draper when it looked as though Draper’s firm, Sterling Cooper, would merge with another agency.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. (Don dodged the merger by starting his own shop with several former Sterling Cooper colleagues.)

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