Entertainer of the Year « Jon Hamm Source

Source: Entertainment Weekly
Date: December 17, 2010

Comedy, drama, live TV— this guy can do it all. Too bad he’s so hard to look at.

What’s Jon Hamm been up to this year? Not resting on his laurels, that’s for sure. In addition to turning out some of his best work yet as Don Draper on Mad Men, Hamm hosted Saturday Night Live twice; reprised his role as Liz Lemon’s comically hot, hook-handed ex-beau on 30 Rock; played a by-the-book FBI agent in The Town; and joined Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, and the cast of Glee on stage at the Emmys for the inspired “Born to Run” opening number. In honor of the actor’s prolific year—and in nostalgic homage to Don Draper’s craft—we asked Hamm and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner to fill out an old-fashioned Dewar’s Profile on the guy who plays the gifted leading Mad man.

HOME: Los Angeles
AGE: 39
PROFESSION: Actor
HOBBIES: Angry Birds, Words With Friends, and self-doubt (according to Hamm)

QUOTE: “2010: What a mathematically round, accessible number,” says Hamm. “2010 was supposed to be ‘the year we make contact’ (wrong again, Arthur C. Clarke), but for me 2010 was just a tremendously exciting, rewarding year. Very busy, full of very challenging work and amazing opportunities. My eternal pessimist comes out whenever things get as good as they have been, however, and I will say that 2010 was the best year I will ever have. Also, 2011 is a prime number. Ugh— I hate primes; they think they’re so special.”

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “Every time Jon goes out there and succeeds in all these different forms, it makes me proud,” says Weiner of his star. “But honestly, I get nervous for him! Especially before the Emmys. That’s a very big audience; the room is intimidating. He was going to sing and dance, and I know he can do all these things, but when he came out and delivered on that with a group, after only six hours of rehearsal, I was like, ‘Man, can you do this!’ I think it’s great that success has happened to him at a time in his life when, after working so hard, he can really appreciate it.”

PROFILE: So who is the man behind Don Draper? Ask the other man behind Don Draper. “It’s very cool that Jon is an Entertainer of the Year,” says Weiner. “If you define an entertainer as somebody who can master any form—singing, dancing, acting, drama, comedy, sketch—then he is that person. He can do it all. And I think his work on Mad Men is the best acting anybody’s doing anywhere, honestly. In the finale this season, when Don comes in and tells everybody in the office that he’s marrying Megan, he has that smile on his face! When’s the last time you saw that guy smile? But he’s happy! And Jon was just so in the scene. Committing to it that way and bringing out that other, happy person—it was an amazing piece of acting.” And no, Weiner never gets possessive of his dapper Don. “Do you know how flattering it is to see Jon go out there and make fun of Don Draper [on Conan and SNL], being on The Simpsons, and stuff like that? I love it. I went to the live 30 Rock episode. I’m a huge entertainment junkie, and he’s very entertaining to me.”