I think Jon Hamm's acting is terrific and especially so in the episode where Don confesses to Betty. Hamm's acting is truly spectacular and brought me to tears. Through his body language, breathing and dialogue, I saw Dick Whitman's character flashing through that of Don Draper. I saw flickers of Dick as a child, the burning desire to start over, the disbelief he felt that someone like Betty could love him (who feels he is unloveable) and the toll that keeping the past secret has taken on him. Hamm's acting was subtle, layered and beautiful to watch. I was especially struck by his breathing patterns - I could hear the anxiety and fear and ultimately a kind of relief coming through the way he breathed and moved. It was an amazing and award-worthy piece of acting.

Agree, madwoman, JH is a shining example of acting at its best....they should show clips of his work in all acting classes.

What a fine example of The Craft he is!

In addition to your examples, how about that utterly stricken expression when Betty told him she'd seen a lawyer? Too many to list, as you know. (expressions, lines, etc., that is)

Psychologically, Don Draper is one of the most interesting characters to appear on television in a very long time and having the opportunity to learn Jon Hamm's views on Draper's background and motives is fascinating. It comes as no surprise that he has studied leading men of the past like Holden and Mitchum; we have not seen an American leading man of this sort in many years: Suave, sophisticated, and highly intelligent, he draws you in with his natural appeal only to confound your expectations.

Hamm's performance most clearly resembles the morally culpable characters played by Holden in films such as "Sunset Boulevard" or Dana Andrews, perhaps, in "Laura" and "Fallen Angel". (There is also the fillip of his physical resemblance to Sean Connery's 007.) But it is Hamm's particular, masculine intelligence and his unspoken ability to convey the emotional states of a man divided by a dual identity that sets him apart. As played by Hamm, Don Draper is a person determined to project himself into the world to create meaning while burdened with the sorrows of his past, the falsehood of his present, and the temptations posed by internal demons. He is strong and weak, clear sighted and confused, forthright and callow. Is anything more human than that? In terms of lterature, one thinks of Fitzgerald's Gatsby or Hemingway's Francis Macomber. Thus, Season 3 was a watershed of sorts, a new way forward.

For me, Draper is also a window on my parent's generation (I was born in the '50s) and how the disasters of the Great Depression and WWII shaped the human character. Although they may well have been "The Greatest Generation", like Don Draper many of them were emotionally mangled by economic deprivation and the horrors of war. They had self-discipline and courage to a degree uncommon today, but suffered from fears of poverty and economic collapse of which our present troubles are merely an echo. Metaphorically, it was a generation pushed onto a precipice: some fell, a few climbed high, and many plodded forward an inch-at-a-time, but none of them could avoid looking back to see where they had been.

He does so much of his acting with his face, muscles, eyes. Amazing! January Jones also does this.

I find the Don Draper character absolutely fascinating, and it is largely because of Jon Hamm's truly amazing acting ability. I think he succeeds in doing exactly what he says in this interview he strives to do which is to convey a man who truly loves his family but lacks the skills to stay true to that love. The only part of this season which I found jarring and really out of character was his affair with Suzanne,. and that was because the writing really did not convey a believable motivation for it. After Betty threw him out last season and all the heartfelt emotion that Jon Hamm portrayed in Don's attempts to get back with Betty, it just never made any sense that he would suddenly turn to Suzanne and jeopardize all that he had realized meant so much to him, no matter how messed up he is! The writing left Jon Hamm unable to make the affair believable. But in general, I think Mr. Hamm does a stupendous job portraying the complexity and the turmoil and the growth of this character. I love it!!! Thank you so much for the effort you put into making this character real, Mr. Hamm. I want you to know that it is appreciated.

I've always felt that Don Draper is the central character of MM and the lifeblood character of the show. I was apprehensive and not enjoying the show when I thought Don's character was being stripped down to fast. I felt that MM was in danger of destroying the character, and I was really relieved to see "Sit down and close the door" brings Don out of his funk. I have alway's thought that Don and Peggy are the two protaganist of the show if you will. They are both survivors and kindred spirits and the "Heroes" of MM. What momentum that last episode had. Like a runaway train. I'll never doubt the writers again. I actually thought they had "Jumped the Shark" in the Tractor accident episode. I'm just to emotionally invested in MM, and especially Don and Peggy. When MM put together the A team in the last episode I was ecstatic. Sorry MM, I will never doubt you again.

Really great and thought-provoking questions. Kudos to those chosen....many thanx to Jon for making time to provide answers from his perspective.

This show is so appealing to those of us who lived through that era - the clothes, the furniture, the lifestyle. The end of each season has been sad as this entire show from casting to writing brings a whole new level of television to the air. At the beginning of this season's last episode I was curious how things would end up - bravo!!! Not only were loose ends tied up, but new story lines were created to entice us to tune in next season. What a great ensemble - obvious this entire show is heads above other current programming on any channel. Can't wait to see how the group brings their unique style to next season at Sterling Cooper Draper Price!!!

Mad men is spectacular. It's great to see the characters grow. I must say, it did upset me when Don said those things to Peggy. I wasn't sure I wanted to watch this show anymore. I got over it and I wanted to see where this would leave and season three brought it all together.

This was a great ending for season 3. Now, I waiting on season 4.

Thanks for such a great drama...

Virginia

Really good questions and insight from Jon Hamm's perspective. I loved reading his responses.

The Indelible impressions Jon Hamm and January Jones have set are exceptional and they are now part of history in TV's Hall of Fame. These two characters speak volumes without words. They're so amazing to watch...

They are also two exceptionally good-looking people. (JJ & JH thank your parents!) Two human beings that Jimmy Barrett and Roger Sterling via Mona Sterling described perfectly: Jimmy: "Are you two sold separately?" (walking/talking Barbie & Ken dolls) and Mona saying to Roger that they look like the couple atop their wedding cake.

All of the Mad Men characters are a joy to watch and this show is solid gold pure escapist entertainment in a world that gets slightly more radical everyday.

I'm happy Roger and Don are friends again. The finale had so many great lines! I love "Lane Pryce" and his English accent."Very good, Happy Christmas!" Great rapid-fire exchanges between Don and Bertram then again between Roger, Don & Bert, finally when they finalize plans to start their own agency.

I love that Betty can experience a LOVE relationship with Henry Francis. (a gorgeous & caring man). I hope it's a good marriage and it affords her to be loving to her kids. Maybe the transitional time will allow Betty & Don to become friends & good parents.

My favorite line of the night isn't the 4 guys shot their legs off although it came in second.
It was Roger (yep, he delivered several good lines)
He told Don "You're not good in your relationships because you don't value them." So true. I think it encapsulates Don's persona up to this point. Now that the truth is out he can sort through his life and be truly free to discover himself. He can put the bad aspects of his past behind him and "Move Forward."

I don't see Don with Suzanne anymore. I could be wrong.. She seems more from his past than his future now. After he patched things up with Betty and they returned from Rome I thought they would rekindle their romance. If Betty was ever affectionate towards Don, she certainly did a 180 so Don took up with Suzanne because he wasn't happy in the marriage any more than Betty was after having met Henry. Did I get that right?

Don took a lot of people for granted (Betty, Peggy, Pete,Sal Roger...his kids). He's not a cad, he genuinely does not know how to show love/maintain relationships that originates from a tragic & loveless childhood. (so sad!) It was a miracle he survived it at all! That boy that plays a young Don is adorable.

The finale Roy Orbison song was so brilliant! "In the future, you will find a love that lasts." It will be so great to see Don fall in love!

Maybe years from now if Don & Betty ever fall in love again it will be from a better foundation and very powerful.

Isn't it great to have the Joan-Roger dynamic back in play? Robert Morse is wonderful. I loved Trudy's line: "I know how you boys and girls can be.... " How motherly! I'm glad Peggy & Don reconciled. What will Duck say about all this? How much of the old staff will be incorporated back in? Pete & Trudy are a team!

I love the Draper kids, Sally is a good little actress and I like the Bobby actor too, he just clings to his dad... They deserve good parenting & lots of love! It was a heartbreaking scene in the "Living Room" (lots of teary moments in finale including the last scene as Don walks to his new place.)

Have a Great Vacation Matt Weiner, Jon, January, John S. and everyone associated with Mad Men! You deserve it!! Thanks for a KILLER Emmy-winning season 3 and stellar performances!!! Matt Weiner: Please don't skip years, I want Madmen to last a long time.

How will I survive until season 4? Regular doses of Seasons 1-3 and The Tudors will help. Sorry this post is so long-I couldn't help it.

I love Jon Hamm's acting style. He is incredibly gifted and unspoiled by the ego resulting from accidental success that so many actors today display in spades. I say accidental because most of today's "popular" stars can't act their way out of wet paper bags!
Of course, it does not hurt that the man is impossibly gorgeous! Sexiest man alive indeed!

Thanks, tinavalina, I was wondering who sang the end credit song.

Great conclusion to the season. I suspected that Don was going to be creating a new firm, but wasn't sure how - and people that I thought should be part of his company were all going off in different directions. I couldn't see how the writers were all going to pull it together. Great job. Now I would like to see Peggy's relationships with men make more sense next season - at least provide some motivation for what she's doing. I'm still confused.

In Season 4, will we see Don laugh out loud, truly enjoying his own life, or at least give a genuine smile?

I didn't see the first series 1 for this show so I may have missed the significance of the man falling thru the air in the beginning credits that start each episode.I am wondering who it was and did it happen in the first series or will it happen in the future?
I enjoy the series very much although sometimes the characters lines seem a little artificial the way they are presented.Maybe that is the way they should be for the time period the show covers. i

I just started watching mad men in series 3 and missed the first five episodes...I'm hooked. Before Season 4, I've got to go back and watch it from the beginning. It's amazing to me when I talk about the show with friends (who don't watch it) they either have never heard about it, or just don't get it.. they see it as a show about sex, politics, anti-feminism, and sexual harassment... I am hooked because of the amazing acting. Everything that tinavalina stated in her blog is sooo true.. I'm glad to see that there are others who appreciate the unspoken words, facial expressions and body language that speak volumes to the characters. If we look for the good in people, we will find it - in spite of their flaws.

I started watching Mad Men this season. I was hooked after one episode. I went out and bought seasons one and two on dvd and watched all of the episodes in one month. This is by far the best that television entertainment has offered in a long time, The acting is phenominal. The plots merge with the backdrop of the 1960's, a tumultuous time in our country's history. I like the way the writers stay true to form and don't buckle to political correctness. Things were certainly flawed then, but then again, who knows what this era will look like 40 years from now?

We started watching this show last season and went out to buy season one to catch up. We are hooked. So many impressions to comment on.

I'm the same age Sally Draper would be now ( I like that kid). I remember so well the dresses, the music my parents listened to, the parties they went to. I feel like I'm getting a glimpse into the adult lives of my parents and their friends and now understand what was puzzling to a child then. On that level this show brings back memories.

Oh and all the smoking and boozing....so true! Everyone we knew had a liquor cabinet and fancy ashtrays, and cigarette cases. Sheesh, my throat is parched at the end of viewing each show, just watching everyone light up so much. Do all the actors really have to smoke?

Don/Dick is certainly a complex character. It's been interesting to see him unravel. He is his own worst enemy yet he is sympathetic. I assumed he is the one falling in the air at the opening of the show. Betty - gorgeous but will that woman ever be loving to her kids? Roger and Joan...great combination. So interesting to see Peggy, fledgling feminist, stepping out and up.

Excellent last show - We were practically cheering in our living room. Looking forward to season four.

Meeting Jerry Della Femina in the 60's
Well, my father was in the ad business during that time of the 60's and one of the most exciting times was going up the elevator with him and my brother to meet the famous Jerry Della Femina at Della Femina, Travisano and partners in 1967. He told me all about Jerry Della Femina and I was looking forward to meeting this celebrity of the ad business. I was 12 at the time but my anticipation was building as the doors opened to this famous ad agency. My father was delivering mat boards of the ads from the company he worked for (remember them). After sitting down in a very chi chi reception area, minutes seemed like hours and all of sudden Jerry Della Femina appeared. I swear there was an electrical charge in the air, Jerry was all smiles and charisma, as my father said, there he is, and announced Della Femina's arrival to us. We had all of 5 minutes meeting him, but being Jerry, he had to get back to his great work and I felt I had experienced a moment that many others would never have, a very special one. What a day, and over 30 years later I interviewed for a job at Jerry's firm Della Femina and partners. Della Femina did not remember meeting me of course, so many life moments, but did remember my father, so I felt I reexperienced another moment in advertising history. I was not able to attain my goal of working there, but I did continue on in advertising as my father did before me. Mad Men holds a special significance for me because of living through the time with my father in advertising during that decade.

One of Don/Dick/John's biggest gifts is his handsomeness ... he can almost do no wrong ... when Betty was 'telling him off' she almost looked like she wanted to kiss him ... very real ... he has tenderness with the children, most of the time, and tenderness with protecting his wife, most of the time (except when he's been lying, hiding, being unfaithful) and wanting the family unit! He is a great creative director/partner and friend! He is a fav! :)
Thank you, John, for giving it your all! Love it!

What I particularly like about Don's character is not only that he's good-looking and looks good in those clothes he wears -- I enjoy that he's so incredibly vulnerable, damaged, even sensitive if one looks closely and can see beyond his cool exterior.

Example: The last episode when Betty informs him that she wants a divorce..worse, she informs him that she doesn't love him anymore! He then goes to his room, sits down on the chair, bows his head, hunches his shoulders and we can just about feel him begin to cry; I know the man loves his children, even loves Betty tto, but not in a manner in which is constructive to her as a woman/spouse/person. It's [w]as though his entire, well-constructed world had collapsed in one fell swoop!

I was quite pleased for Betty finally standing up for herself, and hopefully Weiner will allow her to stick to her guns, because Don is far and away MUCH too... um.... whore-ish [still luv ya, Don!] But, as is said; What goes 'round, comes 'round; he just didn't know WHEN to say when and just stop fooling around with other women -- he got slopy, like many men do when allowed so much freedom like that. I also felt there was some small vindication for the way in which Don interacted with Sal right before he was fired. Yeah.

MAN! This is a great show!! Seems as though as soon as it's time for the new season, the end winds around just a bit too quickly.

~RDEE

Hi all, very interesting comments. I really got a lot out of Jon Hamm's answers. He's right, you are fascinated/repulsed by him. I came in late on MM-got Season 1 from Netflix to get caught up. Saw Season 2 On Demand before Season 3 began. I am sure glad I did.

MM is the only show I really watch and consider Appointment TV-can hardly wait for Season 4.

Thanks Jon Hamm, for your insight into Don Draper and MM.

Love the show, but what is very scary for me in watching this show is that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) looks so much like my father, when my father was young. He passed away back in 1997. I watch this show because it mimicks the 60's to a "T", and Don Draper personality was so much like my father. That sort of "indifference", where so much of life is running around you, but always living a different life in your head. I will never forget the episode in which Don Draper was taking his kids for Trick or Treat. One of his neighbor's said to the children, "I know you are a Astronaut (Boy) and I know you are a Ballereina (Daughter); and he turned to Don Draper, "And who are you?" Hit a nerve with me. Dam Good show! Jon Hamm, I wish you all the luck!

I have been watching Mad Men since it started and I can't remember what the deal is with his past - why is he not Don Draper?? I know he switched dog tags when he was in the service with a soldier that had been killed, but why?? Is there a valid reason? Someone please help me out here, I love the show but am feeling a little lost right now.

Thanks

Cindy

Draper's character is partially based on Draper Daniels, the creative head of the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago in the 1950s who created the Marlboro Man campaign.
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LAST SEASON Don realized the importance of family too late: First his brother hung himself, then his wife and kids left for Thanksgiving without him. UP NEXT Further exploration of Don's work-vs.-life struggle and his dark past. ''There are still a lot of holes in this guy's life including the failure of the Ginault store,'' says Hamm. ''A lot of gray area.''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.

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