Jon Hamm is giving credit where it’s due, acknowledging Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels for helping him break free from being typecast.
After being honored as Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year at Harvard on January 31, Hamm spoke to reporters about how Mad Men’s success initially led to him being offered roles that were just variations of Don Draper—“smoking a cigarette and sort of brooding, looking out a window into the dark city.”
While he embraced dramatic roles, Hamm said he knew there was more out there for him. That’s where Michaels came in, offering him the chance to guest host SNL, which allowed him to showcase his comedic side.
“Most of the people who knew me before Mad Men knew that was the predominant side of me,” Hamm explained. Thanks to Michaels, he landed roles in 30 Rock, Bridesmaids, and other projects within the Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and Lorne Michaels universe. “So I’ll be forever grateful to [Michaels] for that,” he added.
Reflecting on Mad Men, Hamm noted that it’s been nearly a decade since the show wrapped and 20 years since it began. “So it’s fading in the rearview, but it’s still very prevalent” in his life.