5 Actors Who Were Almost on Mad Men
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Mad Men wraps up forever this weekend, and we're getting majorly nostalgic for the last seven seasons of the groundbreaking series. We can't imagine any of the cast not being involved, but like every project in show business, the casting process was a long, difficult one, and yes, there was even a time where Jon Hamm wasn't going to play Don Draper. The truly fun thing is finding out who almost became a Mad Men costar, and we've discovered five stars who were thisclose to nabbing a spot on the AMC hit. See who almost made it to Madison Avenue.
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Danny Masterson
Creator Matthew Weiner told The Hollywood Reporter that when the show was being cast, lots of famous people read for roles. "The guys from That '70s Show came in — not Ashton, but the other guys. I'm still impressed by Danny Masterson." Weiner noted that ultimately, he wanted to cast unknowns because it worked so well for The Sopranos.
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Sarah Silverman
The comedian recently relayed an anecdote for Mad Men's tribute series, saying that Jon Hamm had suggested she read for a "Jewish department store owner" (Rachel Menken, whom Don has an affair with in season one). Silverman declined, busy with her own show at the time, though she now acknowledges, "I blew that."
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Thomas Jane
On Marc Maron's podcast, Hamm revealed that he almost lost out on Don Draper had Thomas Jane taken the role first. Hamm knew his unknown status was working against him: "Nobody knew who I was. The casting directors didn't know who I was. I wasn't on anybody's lists. The funny thing was, I think they went to Thomas Jane for it, and they were told that Thomas Jane does not do television." Jane would go on to star in HBO series Hung.
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Peter Hermann
Hamm also came very close to losing Don Draper to another actor. Weiner revealed that it was between two actors for Don: Hamm and Peter Hermann, who is married to Mariska Hargitay in real life.
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Rob Huebel
Comedian Huebel auditioned for the role of Don Draper, but didn't get the role, obviously, and shared that the loss "broke his heart." In an interview with Splitsider, Huebel explained, "when I was growing up, I always wanted to work in advertising. Like I just thought that that would be the coolest, most fun job. Even when I first moved to New York, I kinda wanted to work in advertising still, and I never did. Anyway, when I found out about that show, I was like, 'Oh man, I gotta get this show.'"