In Sucker Punch, Jon Hamm plays the dual role of a doctor at a mental institution and a "high roller" at a burlesque club. (Seriously, just go with it; it would take 1000 words to explain.) How did Hamm transform himself from bit television performer with a pretty face into a critically acclaimed television actor on the verge of movie stardom?
You can always trace a direct line through a handful of important roles -- not necessarily his best, mind you -- to illustrate what led to an actor's current success. With Hamm that line takes a massive spike with the role of Don Draper, but it's his post-Draper foray into comedy that shows Hamm has a definite -- er, plan. So, let's look at eight performances -- including his first-ever movie appearance -- that trace the evolution of one Jonathan Daniel Hamm.
Providence (2000)
It took quite some time for Hamm to finally make his way to the big screen. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1993, Hamm worked numerous jobs in Hollywood, including that of a set designer on an adult film. He eventually secured a recurring guest role on Providence as firefighter Burt Ridley. Providence led Hamm to his first big screen appearance -- a blink and you miss it moment (below) in the Clint Eastwood/Tommy Lee Jones "old astronauts" movie, Space Cowboys.
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Hamm's longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt -- who wrote Kissing Jessica Stein and plays the titular role -- cast her boyfriend as Charles, one of the many men Jessica seems bored with until she starts a relationship with a woman. Not a huge role for Hamm, but it is his first meaningful film appearance, and one that perhaps pointed toward his future comedy roles.
The Division (2002)
Mad Men is not Hamm's first encounter with original cable programming; in the original Lifetime drama The Division, he played Inspector Nate Basso. However since the series followed the lives of five female policewomen, it goes without saying that Hamm was not the focal point.
Mad Men (2007)
Eighty actors auditioned for the role of Don Draper, and Hamm openly admits that if Mad Men were a network show, he would have had little chance securing the part of his lifetime. The Emmy-winning series launched Hamm's career to another level, but what's interesting is that it didn't automatically make him a wanted commodity for films. Small roles in dreck like The Day the Earth Stood Still followed the launch of the AMC series, but Mad Men alone wasn't enough to make Hamm a fixture on the silver screen. Wisely, he chose another route.
Saturday Night Live (2008)
No one quite knew what to expect from Jon Hamm's first appearance as host on SNL; the stoic Don Draper did not -- at first blush -- seem like the most ideal host. To his credit, however, Hamm took the opportunity to show off his comedic side by being the best type of SNL host: the "I'm up for anything" type. Exemplifying this was Hamm's self-mocking turn as a spokesperson for "Jon Hamm's John Ham," which is just part of the reason he's hosted the late night sketch comedy series twice since his debut.
30 Rock (2009)
With Hamm's comedic star on the rise, he accepted a recurring role on the critically acclaimed 30 Rock as Dr. Drew Baird, Liz Lemon's new love interest. Baird lived in "a bubble," which precluded him from accepting the reality that his looks are what made his life so easy. Hamm -- already an Emmy nominated actor for his work on Mad Men -- would score another Emmy nomination for his comedic work on 30 Rock.
The Town (2010)
For all intents and purposes, this is Hamm's first worthwhile role in a major, feature-length film. As an FBI agent assigned to stop a highly proficient team of bank robbers in Boston, Hamm was able to combine both sides of his acting career: His Agent Adam Frawley was a mannered professional like Don Draper, but one who knew his way around a quippy one-liner. (Example: "This is the not f*cking around crew so get me something that looks like a print because this not f*cking around thing is about to go both ways.") Does Hamm land this role without proving he's more than a one-trick dramatic pony? Probably not.
Childrens Hospital (2010)
Hamm's cameo on Rob Corddry's Adult Swim short Childrens Hospital is pretty much the essence of what the Emmy nominee has transformed himself into: an affable guy who's up for anything. What Hamm has effectively done is make audiences forget about his matinee idol looks. His personality has taken front and center, something that would never have happened without Hamm's somewhat risky post-Mad Men turn to comedy. He certainly doesn't land a brief role in the upcoming Bridesmaids without proving himself as a comedic heavyweight. In this clip from Childrens Hospital, Hamm plays Derrick Childrens, the son of the hospital's founder who has been disguising himself as a doctor named Valerie (played by Malin Akerman).
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