Q&A - Mark Moses (Duck Phillips)
We didn't get to see Duck Phillips until nearly half-way into Season 3, but suffice to say, the man has had some memorable moments. Actor Mark Moses talks about his character's scene at the Pierre, and his favorite line for 2009.
Q: In the beginning of Season 3, many viewers wondered, "Where's Duck?" Was there any question about his return?
A: I wasn't quite sure -- just like everyone else. And then I was called and they said, "You'll be back for a number of episodes." I was very excited to come back to the show. I had no idea what Duck was going to be doing in Season 3, so it came as just a big of a surprise to me as the audience.
Q: Duck has a stunner of a moment with Peggy in Episode 7. What was your reaction when you read that twist?
A: My jaw dropped. I had no idea that it was coming. I had no idea it was coming in Episode 5 either. I didn't see how it was going to play out. So when I received Episode 7, it was a total surprise to me. At the table read, it was a great surprise to everybody. It got quite a reaction. I think Elisabeth [Moss] knew something about it, but I was left in the dark.
Q: You had a guest appearance on The West Wing years ago. Did you work with Elisabeth then?
A: I know she worked on it, and she did great work on it. But no, we didn't know each other back then. She was terrific to work with and we had a great time, considering it was quite an odd matchup. In fact, I hadn't really worked with her before Season 3.
Q: Was there any special prep for the scene at the Pierre? Was it a closed set?
A: It was closed to a certain extent. But I think getting in bed with any stranger is always a little nerve-wracking whether it's in real life or whether it's just dramatic license. We had a great time and we discussed certain things during the scene, and I think it came out really well. I got quite a reaction from people across the country about the actual scene.
Q: Positive feedback?
A: Basically surprised reactions. And some positive reaction... It depends how people view Elisabeth's character and what she's going through. Some were like, "I can't believe she did it"; some people were: "Peggy deserves something good to happen in her life." It was either way.
Q: In three years, Duck has transitioned from new guy to someone quite different... Have there been changes in how you approach the role?
This year, I thought Matt did something wonderful in turning Duck's approach to his alcoholism around. By the time you see him, he's got a new job at Grey, and seems to have come to some kind of peace with his drinking. He doesn't make any bones about it. He's back in action, and in a way, more so than in Season 2 when he was still battling it and going through a divorce. He has a new lease on life. Grey has given him a new confidence.
Q: In the Season 1 finale, Duck delivers the now classic line "Good luck at your next meeting." What line from Season 3 most stands out for you?
A: One of my favorite lines is when he's pitching Peggy Grey Advertising. And after she turns him down, he looks at her and says, "Well that's what opportunity looks like, just so you know." I think in many ways, Duck gets inside Peggy's head and what her options are. There are other options outside of Sterling Cooper and might be to her advantage to consider them. I think he had a very realistic pitch and offered her something that wasn't just BS, but was a legitimate step up in the business. I think that was all very out in the open. Duck sees how advertising business is moving and that women are going to be needed in it.
Click here to read Mark Moses' interview from Season 2 »Click here to read Mark Moses' interview from Season 1 »
I have to say that Mr. Moses is a very good actor. From reading the interview above he is charming, intelligent and well spoken. As to Duck, I also have to say that is one character that grates on me. When he put Chauncy out in the cold I lost all trust in him. I don't object to a September/May romance with Peggy, but I simply don't trust the character. When an actor can get under my skin like that, I consider that good acting!
"Grates" isn't a powerful enough word for my distaste for the Duck! Pulling the plug on assassination coverage so he could have his nooner with Peggy (god forbid she find out what's happening and not want to 'service' him) was the ickiest act of the night.
And, Duck's offer to Peggy of a job at Grey was not "opportunity," just early inklings of lechery.
EW!
You are spot on "Dadawasanadman" the fact that Duck was more interested in sex than the assasination of our President is a BIG foreshadow on his relationship with Peggy. She is a peice of meat and he just want's to get his rocks off....sad but true.
To be honest, last episode was my LEAST favorite ever, the assertion of Betty and the objectification of Peggy, Joan and this new idiot Henry, left me wondering where the hell the power in this program has gone. I look at the man whom has always had a "knowing" understanding of the human condition (DON) and see someone whom is one step away from the dege...spinning out of control.
At his point, I think a little domestic abuse is in order......
After Don Draper, Duck Phillips is easily the most interesting character in the show. Since his first appearance, I've had the impression that he's a foreshadowing of what Don Draper could become, a hollowed out ad man with no loyalties to anyone but himself. If the show's primary concern is to document and promote the importance of relationships, be they personal or professional, Duck is a signpost for how not to treat them. Clearly, the ad business as portrayed in "Mad Men" is a competitive, even cutthroat, world. The temptation to advance one's interests at the expense of others is great. We see in Duck the sort of man who gives in to this temptation. He is toxic and the threat of disaster is always present when he's around.
Clearly, Mark Moses is an outstanding actor who captures Duck's double nature effortlessly. On the surface, he seems a decent, reliable man--a man of character and conviction. But beneath that, there is a slickness and a corrosive selfishness evident in the way he staged the sale of Sterling Cooper, his seduction of Peggy, (with the aforementioned plug-pulling of the TV on the day of the assassination) the jealous outburst at Don in the last episode of Series 2, and the horrible way he treated his ex-wife, kids and even his dog. In the Shakespearean sense, Duck Phillips is a Machiavel: a self-serving manipulator and betrayer. Perhaps he should be called not Duck, but Devil.
I look forward to seeing more of this character since he offers such a rich example of what the show is arguing against.