Jon Hamm Reflects on Much-Awaited Mad Men Finale in New emmy Magazine

With just seven episodes remaining in the landmark AMC series, Mad Men star Jon Hamm opens up about his connections to Don Draper, filming the final scene and what’s next for him in the cover story of the award-winning emmy magazine, the official publication of the Television Academy, on sale starting February 17.

The profile of Hamm, whose finely tuned performance as the hard-drinking, hard-driven Draper has earned him seven Emmy nominations and legions of fans, offers a fascinating look at the trajectory his career.  From his days as an elementary-school theater teacher in St. Louis to his arrival in L.A. with $150 in his wallet to the fateful Mad Men audition and stardom, Hamm retains a humble Midwestern streak and work ethic that affects the actors with whom he shares the screen.

“When somebody who has [the majority] of the lines in the scene is saying them perfectly, you’d better say your two lines perfectly as well,” says Mad Men costar Elisabeth Moss.

Remaining tight-lipped about the fates of Don, Roger, Peggy and the rest of the Sterling, Cooper & Partners crew, Hamm says about the series closer, “I just hope people are affected by it and I hope it works as intended.”

Matthew Weiner, the drama’s creator-executive producer recalls the bittersweet mood after Hamm’s final shot.

“It was completely emotional and completely surreal because it was something we’d been anticipating. Finishing the show had been hanging over all of us for months as the final scripts were coming in – and then, we were at the moment,” he says.

In a nod to Don Draper’s classic sartorial style, Hamm is photographed in fashions from labels such as John Varvatos, Burberry London and Calvin Klein Collection.

Additional feature highlights from the new issue of emmy include:

• Bestselling novelist Michael Connelly charts the two-decade journey to bring his iconic LAPD detective character to the screen in the new Amazon Studios series Bosch
• House of Cards creator Beau Willimon reflects on the unusual path that led him to the Emmy-winning political saga from Netflix
• Clement Virgo, producer-director of The Book of Negroes, the first miniseries from BET, sheds light on an overlooked chapter in history in an epic tale of one woman’s escape from slavery during the American Revolution
• Bob Odenkirk and multi-Emmy winners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould make the case for the return of law-breaking lawyer Saul Goodman in AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul

Readers can catch behind-the-scenes video of Hamm’s shoot and more on TelevisionAcademy.com.

Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, is a must read that takes readers behind-the-scenes of the industry for a unique insider’s view. Emmy showcases the stunning scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology.

Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a five-time Maggie Award winner as best trade publication in communications or the arts and has collected 38 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is available on selected newsstands or at TelevisionAcademy.com, where readers can purchase single print and digital copies of this issue as well as a subscription.