Emmys: John Slattery: 'You don't play the period, you play the scene'

John Slattery has received a supporting actor nomination for every season "Mad Men" has been on the air. So you'd think this must be old hat to the actor who plays ad man Roger Sterling. But you'd be wrong.

"Mad Men" has consistently done so well, were you expecting this?  

It would be presumptuous to expect anything. It’s still a surprise and it’s exciting. That doesn’t really go away. The ritual of the experience is more familiar, but it doesn’t dampen the excitement.

To Matt Weiner’s credit, the show gets better every year. So I’m very happy for him. From a writing standpoint, you’d think the more stories you’d tell about these characters, the less there’d be, but they use that to inform the next season, getting a leg up to create a whole new canvas. It grows exponentially. I think the last season is the best it’s ever been.

How has Roger changed over the years?

It grows and regresses, digresses, like people do. The rug is pulled out from under them -- that happens to my character this year. And then things get further complicated. When it rains it pours. Matthew has a great skill at complicating these characters’ lives and keeping them just dissatisfied enough. The tension is what there is to play with –- it helps the actors stay active. Going into a scene with an intention. So from an acting and directing standpoint, the scenes are really, really satisfying to work on.

Are there challenges particular to this show?

On TV, the most challenging thing is not to assume you know how your character would react just because you’ve played it for years. You want to deliver the joke, but you don’t want your character to be a joke. Also, people wonder about the clothes and the cigarettes and the drinks -- but you don’t play the period, you play the scene. You play each moment as it comes.

Who do you think has been overlooked in the nominations?

I know on my show Vincent [Kartheiser], who plays Pete Campbell, has been overlooked for years. Every year. He acts so well that no one thinks he’s acting! I had the privilege of directing him this year -– how alive he is and how far his character is from who he is, people would be amazed. I know this would make him uncomfortable, but I feel like he deserves more recognition than he gets.

What do you think of directing?

It’s fantastic. It’s a great experience. Difficult. Getting it all done in the time they give you. I always wanted to do it, I just never really found the right situation.

What else is in the works for you?  

I did a little movie called “Return” directed by Liza Johnson. It was the only American entry in Cannes for 2011 in the directors’ Fortnight. Just one section of the festival. I play a guy who lives in the woods and does a lot of drugs. It’s always good to try something new. 

I just did another movie called "Family Tree" -- another small independent movie. Gabrielle Union and Jena Malone and Zach Gilford were in it. I play Zach’s estranged father.

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 -- Deborah Vankin

Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Emmys: Matthew Weiner already knows how 'Mad Men' will end

"Mad Men" has won the Emmy for outstanding drama series for the last three years and may well be on its way to a fourth with a fresh nomination Thursday morning. For series creator Matthew Weiner, the recognition is completely gratifying.

How are you feeling?

I’m so thrilled, I’m so excited, I can’t even tell you.

Where were you when you heard the good news?

I was lying in bed in the dark, turned on the TV and woke up my wife because she now knows she has to wake up and pretend she wouldn’t rather be asleep. It was great. I had no idea it was going to happen this deep into the show. It was really exciting.

What will you do to celebrate?
We’re a very superstitious bunch of people, so we try to do everything exactly the same way. We decided that no matter what happened today, we’re going to get together and drink tonight. And we will probably drink during the day here also, which will probably limit our productivity. We’re not shooting, so that helps a little bit; the writers room is open, production is clicking away, so everyone is open to that. It’s also the way the show is. There’s something extra sweet about it because, four years into it, you just don’t expect to be in it.

 You submitted “The Suitcase.”  Why did you choose that episode?

That episode is very special. It’s one of those episodes where you get to pay off a lot of tensions. People recognize their own workplaces and workplace relationships. These are two characters (Don Draper, Peggy Olson) who have spent a lot of time together, and we’ve gotten to see a lot of it, but a lot of it has still been left unsaid. In this episode, it gets said. It was a payoff that was earned, that experience is very satisfying. You have sentiment and emotion, and not shove it in people’s faces.

Elisabeth Moss also got a nomination.

She’s an incredible actress. I’ve never given her anything that didn’t sound better when she said it. Everyone is better when they are in scenes with her. She’s a very, very natural and intelligent actress. I give her credit, she doesn’t get a lot coaching or conversation. We don’t talk about motivations. We don’t really have any traditional conversations you have about acting and character. She does it from her gut, and she’s never made a wrong choice as far as I’m concerned. 

How about Jon Hamm?

Jon is always amazing. He’s had scripts where he’s only had four lines, and he dominates them. He’s such a versatile actor, and now everybody knows it from having seen him in all these different comedy parts and “The Town,” but we got to show that off, and that was very cool.

You put AMC on the map, but they’ve done a good job now of airing other quality shows — "Breaking Bad," "The Killing," "Walking Dead" — what do all these nominations mean for AMC and basic cable?

I think it really helps explain that it’s a great place to work; to me, it proves that competition in the marketplace is a really good thing. There’s a lot of shows here that network TV just can’t do; they can’t support it because they don’t deliver the mass audiences that they require. At the same time, audiences really like them and they have longevity and they succeed in all these different formats. Business models are very different than they used to be, so, for creative people, this is a golden opportunity. Cable has found a way to tap into a lot frustrated creativity and exploit it financially.

You have three seasons left. Do you have an end in mind for the show?

I do. I do. I do. I do have an ending in mind. I’m keeping it close to the vest in case I change my mind. I don’t want to share it with anyone. I kind of, well, that’s all I should say on that.

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Show Tracker coverage of 'Mad Men'

 — Martin Miller

Photo: Matthew Weiner. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times.

Emmys: Fans react to nominations

Commenters in our forum are delighted about top Emmy nominations for new TV shows such as "Game of Thrones." They're furious over the snubs of "Fringe" and "Sons of Anarchy" and flabbergasted that last year's winner for drama actress, Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer"), was booted out. Below, sample comments. See more here.

DS0816: Glad for Melissa McCarthy. She really earned it! And so did Martha Plimpton.

sweetboroguy: I actually cut off a piece of my hat and ate it this morning because I am a man of my word. "Parks" was nominated for Best Comedy and so I ate the hat.

24Emmy: I'm glad Louis C.K. made it, but poor Joel McHale.

blueprint: Brenda Strong for voice over on "Desperate Housewives"?! How cool is that?

JJA91: All 6 cast members of "Modern Family" get in!!!

MadScntst: Thrilled for Margo Martindale, Walton Goggins, and Timothy Olyphant from "Justified" and Peter Dinklage and "Game of Thrones." Disappointed that Katey Sagal is not there, and downright xxxxed that John Noble is not there.

Marvelous Mr. Maker: No Kyra Sedgwick... Can't believe this...

AM_092: Martha Plimpton! Though not enough love elsewhere for "Raising Hope"

PaulHan: The Emmys ... where you need a federal court order to evict shows like "Mad Men" and "Dexter" and Hugh Laurie + Mariska Hargitay from the lineup.

Atypical: No Neil Patrick Harris? They can't get enough of Jon Cryer I guess ... Jimmy Fallon makes the cut in variety series over Letterman. Didn't expect that.

SkyLight: Go Kate Winslet! Get that Emmy!

Hybrid87: "SYTYCD" + Cat Deeley made me very happy. Disappointed though that Emmy voters can't seem to connect with "Parenthood" because Krause, Emerson, Graham and Whitman would have all made their categories stronger.

Sasha: January Jones, you silly blonde ... Had you gone supporting, you would have been nominated and had chance at winning.

Benito Delicias: "Community" ZERO, "Cougar Town" ZERO, "Weeds" ZERO. These people don't know comedy AT ALL.
 
Turtle: Poor Harry Shearer. At least he was nominated once (in TWO DECADES). But his continual snub is up there with yet another baffling Katey Sagal omission: How good do they have to be?!

oscarnutlen: same old boring names over and over again.

rp557: All the "Game of Thrones" love makes my day (though I would have liked more acting nominations), Well done, ATAS.

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-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: "Parks and Recreation." Credit: NBC

Emmys: Can 'Game of Thrones' or 'Friday Night Lights' win best drama? [Poll]

The Emmy race over best drama series is a real drama, pitting reigning champ "Mad Men" against "Boardwalk Empire," "Dexter," "Friday Night Lights," "Game of Thrones" and "The Good Wife."

After sweeping the category for three years in a row, "Mad Men" seems poised to win for a fourth consecutive time, just like "The West Wing" and "Hill Street Blues." ("L.A. Law" won four times too, but not consecutively.) Perhaps its strongest rival is "Boardwalk Empire," which won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award for ensemble drama. However, "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire" aired in late 2010. Out of sight, out of mind?

Although "Game of Thrones" is certainly top of mind right now, based on its mega-buzz driven by fanboy obsession, it faces a tough time reigning on Emmy night: It probably skews too young for the old guys who rule the TV academy. And let's be honest: "Dexter" hasn't got a shot. If it couldn't win last year after its greatest, critically hailed season, it can't win for just a very good one since.

Possible spoilers may be CBS' "The Good Wife" and DirecTV/NBC's "Friday Night Lights" –- the former a broadcast-network show and the latter a program that began its life as one. Remember, most of the 16,000 members of the TV academy work in the broadcast-TV business. One of their shows hasn't won for drama series since "24" (2006). "The Good Wife" is relatively new and sexy, and it has another thing going for it: It's a legal drama like past champs "L.A. Law," "The Practice" and, heck, even "The Defenders" back in the 1960s. It could very well pull off an upset.

But watch out for "Friday Night Lights," which could very well catch a Hail Mary pass and go for a surprise touchdown. In Hollywood, there's enormous love for that program beloved by TV critics but overlooked by Emmy voters in this race up until now. Yes, the show is canceled, but that may not matter. Over in the comedy category, let's not forget that "Barney Miller" got the last laugh after it was off the air. Yes, "Friday Night Lights" didn't have amazing ratings, but neither did "Arrested Development" when it won for comedy series. It had the Cool Factor –- just like "Friday Night Lights."

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Complete list of 2011 Emmy Awards nominees 

Emmys: 'Mad Men,' 'Boardwalk Empire' score big in best drama

-- Tom O'Neil

Left photo: A scene from "Game of Thrones." Credit: HBO

Right photo: Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton in "Friday Night Lights." Credit: DirecTV, NBC

The actors' Emmy episode submissions: What we know so far

The Emmy nominations won't be announced until July 14, but many acting contenders are already weighing which sample episodes they should submit to judges if they score a bid. Below is a compilation of what we know about their leanings so far, but the decisions are not final. This information has been gathered from the stars' publicists, our interviews with contenders and various Internet sources. Nothing is final until specific episodes are submitted officially to Emmy jurors.

Among the drama contenders, "Mad Men" might finally win an acting trophy (or two) thanks to Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss submitting "The Suitcase," which feels like a two-person play packed with drunken confessions. Speaking of boozing, two-time past Emmy champ William H. Macy gets big, grandstanding scenes in the season finale of "Shameless" when he must atone for his drunken behavior.

In her showcase episode of "Sons of Anarchy," Katey Sagal appears tough and tender as she reunites with her father (Hal Holbrook), who suffers from dementia. Timothy Olyphant ("Justified") is considering one of two final episodes of a season filled with great action scenes, murders and a suicide.

AMC sends full season of 'Mad Men' to Emmy voters

AMC has always been the most generous TV network to Emmy voters. Its award campaigners believe strongly in giving TV academy members lots of episodes in order to get them hooked on the cable network's TV series. Last year, AMC not only sent six episodes of "Mad Men" via DVDs, but they streamed seven more online exclusively for voters.

This year, AMC is sending the whole "Mad Men" season via DVDs that just arrived in voters' mailboxes. While "Mad Men" won best drama series for the past three years in a row, it's facing serious competition from "Boardwalk Empire," which won the Golden Globe for best drama series and the Screen Actors Guild Award for best drama ensemble. Both series have the problem of not only needing to remind voters of their greatness, but of their very existence: They aired in late 2010. Clearly, the more aggressive AMC campaign mailer is a response to those challenges.

It also includes another, very curious reminder -– a section headlined "Consider This for 2012: 'Breaking Bad' Returns This Summer.'" The gritty AMC series, which usually gets nominated for best drama series and won lead actor for Bryan Cranston the past three years, isn't eligible now because it didn't air new episodes during the eligibility period.

Here's a breakdown of the episodes included on the DVDs.

INSIDE AMC'S "FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION" EMMY DVD MAILER

"MAD MEN" DISC 1: "401, Public Relations," "402, Christmas Comes But Once a Year," "403, The Good News," "404, The Rejected"
"MAD MEN" DISC 2: "405, The Chrysanthemum," "406, Waldorf Stories," "407, The Suitcase," "408, The Summer Man"
"MAD MEN" DISC 3: "409, The Beautiful Girls," "410, Hands and Knees," "411, Chinese Wall," "412, Blowing Smoke," "413, Tomorrowland"

"THE WALKING DEAD" DISC 1: "101, Days Gone By," "102, Guts," "103, Tell It to the Frogs"
"THE WALKING DEAD" DISC 2: "104, Vatos," "105, Wildfire," "106, TS-19"

"THE KILLING" DISC 1: "100, Pilot," "101, The Cage," "102, El Diablo"
"THE KILLING" DISC 2: "103, A Soundless Echo," "104, Super 8," "105, What You Have Left"

'RUBICON' DISC: "110, In Whom We Trust," "111, A Good Day's Work," "112, Wayward Sons"

Click each image below for expanded view.

Envelope Emmy Week: Kiernan Shipka on playing 'Mad Men's' Sally Draper [video]

When you're watching "Mad Men," does it ever feel like Sally Draper is turning into a little Betty? It's not your imagination. Kiernan Shipka, the young actress who plays Don and Betty Draper's daughter, says sometimes she'll look at the script and think, "This is a very Betty moment." And she'll use that in her performance. See what else she has to say in the clip below about working on the show and what show creator Matthew Weiner had to say about her at Tuesday night's Envelope Screening Series.

— Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: Christina Hendricks on her character's relationship with 'Mad Men's' Roger Sterling

When, oh, when will "Mad Men's" Roger Sterling and Joan Harris get their acts together and become a real, legitimate couple? The fact that they are each married to other people is a stumbling block, sure, but series creator Matthew Weiner and the other writers are pretty capable of surprising twists.

In an Envelope Screening Series panel on Tuesday night, Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan, didn't go so far as to say she hopes the two characters get together, but she did note that "they have a lot of history and a very, very deep relationship." See what else she had to say in the clip below and check back in for other clips from the event.

 

— Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: 'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner takes us inside the show (Video)

The "Beautiful Girls" episode of "Mad Men" is creator Matthew Weiner's tribute to women -- from little Sally Draper running off to the city all by herself, to Don Draper's relationship with Dr. Faye Miller, to his elderly secretary Miss Blankenship. Poor Miss Blankenship. She died how she lived, answering phones for the people she worked for. Yet, oddly, it was her rather comedic demise, Weiner says, and her remembrances by Bert Cooper, that made up the "emotional core" of the episode. See what else Weiner had to say at the Envelope Emmy Week screening on Tuesday night. And check back in for more clips to come.

 

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 Envelope Emmy Week: 'Mad Men's' Jon Hamm offers a glimpse inside Don Draper

--Elena Howe

Envelope Emmy Week: 'Mad Men's' Jon Hamm offers a glimpse inside Don Draper (video)

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner was joined by cast members Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and Kiernan Shipka in an Envelope Q&A session on Tuesday night. Asked about Don Draper's inner workings, Hamm had to admit that the advertising whiz is "fundamentally flawed." His life is based on a lie, Hamm says of his character, and while he tries to change who he is and how he operates, he fails to make much progress. Take a look at the excerpt below of the hourlong discussion and check back often for further clips.

-- Elena Howe