Who Could Play A Sour, Unemployed, Self-deprecating Version Of John Slattery? He Had A Surprising Answer

John Slattery was jet-lagged successful Budapest precocious 1 nighttime aft a time of shooting nan 2025 play “Nuremberg” erstwhile his aged “Mad Men” co-star and friend Jon Hamm texted him pinch nan benignant of transportation that would nonstop galore actors sprinting successful nan other direction.

Would he beryllium consenting to play an out-of-work type of himself who hadn’t had a gig successful a decade and was shamelessly coasting connected his “Mad Men” fame?

Reading nan book for “Gail Daughtry astatine nan Celebrity Sex Pass” done nan haze of fatigue, Slattery fixated connected that 1 detail: “Hasn’t worked successful 10 years, huh?” he recalls by telephone from his location successful New York. “I had to go: Wait a second. Let maine IMDb myself.”

As it happens, nan 63-year-old Slattery — champion known for his four-time Emmy-nominated turn arsenic nan silver-haired ad executive Roger Sterling connected “Mad Men” — has racked up immoderate 30 movie and TV credits since that show ended successful 2015. Still, he says he was happy to detonate his cool, unflappable persona successful nan latest drama from “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Role Models” filmmaker David Wain.

The gleefully unhinged “Gail Daughtry,” which premiered earlier this twelvemonth astatine Sundance and opens Friday, casts Slattery arsenic a washed-up type of himself who is enlisted by a Midwestern female (Zoey Deutch) who flies to Los Angeles wished to rate successful connected a personage activity walk pinch Hamm aft discovering her fiancé cheated connected her pinch Jennifer Aniston.

For Slattery, what originates arsenic an workout successful comic self-demolition gradually becomes nan movie’s biggest surprise, pinch nan character turning a desperate, illusion type of himself into its astir unexpectedly lovable character.

From left, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, John Slattery, Ben Wang, Ken Marino and Zoey Deutch successful nan movie “Gail Daughtry and nan Celebrity Sex Pass.”

(Sundance Institute)

Speaking pinch The Times, Slattery reflected connected cheerfully becoming nan butt of nan joke, why wide drama is thing but easy and what it’s for illustration navigating Hollywood astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile fading distant feels a small little far-fetched than it erstwhile did.

Actors walk years building a definite cool image, but wrong seconds of appearing onscreen successful this movie, you’re whining, farting and mostly making an ass of yourself. What appealed to you astir that?

I ne'er considered it risky. Not that it was foolproof, but it was conscionable specified a silly thought and I was a instrumentality of David Wain and those guys anyway. These kinds of comedies return accomplishment and experience. I mean, you person to beryllium really smart to make a movie this stupid.

You’re ever looking for thing that’s different and this was specified a funny measurement to depart from myself — ironically, by playing myself. It seems for illustration nan wildest characteristic I’ve played successful a while, and it’s me. I thought: What benignant of investigation americium I expected to do? Am I expected to watch myself and imitate myself? But location was really thing to do. You conscionable study nan lines and show up.

Was location ever a infinitesimal wherever you thought: This is either going to beryllium really funny aliases nan extremity of my career?

I didn’t person that emotion connected this. There’s thing funnier to maine than a assured moron. My favourite point successful nan world to watch aliases effort to do is personification who has afloat assurance successful their idiocy.

I’m not personification who dives into nan heavy extremity correct away. First I want to cognize I tin spot nan group successful complaint of what I’m astir to present to them. If I do each this, whose hands americium I leaving it in? With David, that wasn’t moreover a consideration. He’s conscionable truthful bully astatine what he does, and that gives you support to conscionable spell each in.

Have you ever been capable to laughter astatine yourself aliases is that thing that’s gotten easier arsenic you’ve gotten older?

I travel from a ample family of piss-takers. They’re each really bully astatine ball-breaking and really funny. My mother had six siblings, and they each had 5 aliases six kids. I had a cardinal cousins, and they will shred you. Somebody would ever sound your feet retired from nether you if you took yourself excessively seriously.

John Slattery and Jon Hamm successful a segment from nan AMC play “Mad Men.”

(Frank Ockenfels / AMC)

Every successful character astir apt has a nightmare that 1 time nan telephone stops ringing and you’re coasting connected fading glory. Did you ever person that emotion aft “Mad Men” ended?

After going done COVID and nan onslaught and directing an independent movie [2023’s achromatic drama “Maggie Moore(s)”], which doesn’t salary very well, I hadn’t acted successful a while. I was like: Oh, I wonderment if this is going to continue. I don’t know.

The business has contracted. It seems for illustration there’s an endless database of titles connected each streaming menu, and yet they’re making little and group are struggling. So I’m gladsome to beryllium working. I’ve had a beautiful fortunate tally of precocious and I’m not taking it for granted.

At this constituent successful your career, what makes you opportunity yes to something?

Money. [laughs] No, it’s really nan aforesaid arsenic it’s ever been. You ever want a big, fat, juicy part, but sometimes it’s conscionable a functioning portion successful a really bully story.

You benignant of rotation pinch nan punches. You do something, you person immoderate occurrence pinch it and past you get a batch of offers for things that are a batch for illustration that. If that’s each that comes in, you prime nan champion 1 and support going. People say, “Well, it’s not ‘Mad Men.’” And you go, “Well, what do I request to do that again for? I did that.”

This is simply a cleanable illustration of thing that’s each spot arsenic absorbing and nosy successful a wholly different way. If they could each beryllium for illustration this one, I could dice tomorrow. You want them each to beryllium this fun, because they’re not. Sometimes you’re stuck successful a courtroom each time and it’s beautiful dry. This was thing but that.

Hollywood feels for illustration a profoundly anxious spot correct now. You’ve worked done a batch of different eras of this business. How does this infinitesimal compare?

I person a occupation coming up, truthful that’s ever hopeful. Having conscionable travel disconnected something, and knowing you’re astir to do thing else, gives you a consciousness of security. But there’s decidedly a palpable anxiety. You perceive it erstwhile group get jobs: “Thank God.” Or, “It’s astir time.” Or, “I don’t attraction what it is, I’m going to do it.”

I was listening to Taylor Sheridan precocious talking astir really group who don’t show stories are governing nan telling of stories. That’s much than disconcerting. And now AI is nan overlord of each that. It’s very strange.

It’s ever been a youth-oriented business. There are decidedly much movies astir group who are 27 than group who are 63. Maybe it each benignant of shakes out. I don’t know. Sometimes I wish it were 1943 and I was successful a suit playing a detective.

I would watch that movie. Meanwhile, Hollywood doesn’t make galore wide theatrical comedies for illustration this anymore. Why do you deliberation that is?

I don’t cognize why nan studios person fixed up connected comedies successful movie theaters. They utilized to beryllium nan thing, right? Those large Will Ferrell movies were immense moneymakers.

Maybe this will move nan tide. When you deliberation astir nan information of nan state correct now, and really pissed disconnected and divided everybody is, you rotation retired this silly, smart-but-stupid comedy, and it seems for illustration nan cleanable amelioration of everybody’s anxiety. Go get immoderate popcorn and laughter your ass off. You’ll consciousness better.