Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" Has Always Been This Chiseled

Wonderwall, Friday, August 21, 2009, 2:32pm (PDT)

By Dana Flax

Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the surprise success of AMC's first foray into original series, "Mad Men," was where on earth did they find Jon Hamm, and why hadn't we seen him before? In a world where cable dramas feature wimpy, emasculated actors showcasing tears and a barrage of man necklaces, the addition of Don Draper's brooding intensity and chiseled features was, suffice to say, a welcome one. Jon Hamm recently spoke to Elle about his early life, his non-wife and an, um, an odd job he once worked. Check out some highlights from the interview below.

On breaking out of the Pacey Witter mold of bleached-hair-handsome:

"I came in the 'Dawson's Creek' era; it was all about tiny guys who looked like teenagers, and I haven't looked like a teenager ever. So I was, like, auditioning to be their dads. At 25."

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On Don Draper's teeming, dripping, masculine silence:

"A lot of people can't stand silence. They give away so much information. This guy gives away nothing."

On a classy foray into the wide world of soft-core porn set dressing:

"It was soul-crushingly depressing. There was no actual f---ing, but it was so sad; the actors were dead but they were trying their best. I was like, Man, this can't f---ing be it."

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Looking into Betty Draper's disappointed eyes on a daily basis, we can't say we blame him for his reluctance to marry:

"Marriage doesn't really mean anything to me. I feel like in many ways marriage is more for the families [of the couple] than for the people involved, so I don't gravitate to it. But I've also said that the minute that [longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt] is like, 'You need to marry me,' I'll be like, 'All right!' We are both on the same page."

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