Jon Hamm Reveals the Iconic Role He Lost to Rob Lowe

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jon Hamm revealed the iconic role he would have done “anything” to get but ultimately lost out on to Rob Lowe. In an ironic twist, Hamm would later go up against Lowe for the starring role in Mad Men.

Hamm explained that, when his breakout turn as Don Draper in Mad Men came along, his past heartbreak precluded him from putting too much pressure on this new opportunity. “I got the Mad Men script, and I was like, ‘S--t, this is really good.’ And it’s a good lesson in not getting ahead of yourself because I remember thinking, ‘They’re never going to cast me.’ Because I’d had an experience with another really good script that I read and I was like, ‘I would do anything to get this part.’”

That part turned out to be The West Wing’s quick-witted communications director Sam Seaborn. Inevitably, Lowe would win the role, which he played on the first four seasons and reprised for the finale.

I thought, ‘I could murder this part,’” Hamm admitted. “And I was great in the audition, but I saw the casting director’s face, and I knew this part’s already cast. Then it was like, ‘Oh, it’s Rob Lowe. Okay, I get it.’ So I thought the same thing would happen on Mad Men. I’ll give a great audition, and they’ll give it to a movie star.”

But lacking any other promising opportunities, Hamm took the audition. Ironically, Lowe was one of the people considered to play Draper before the younger actor signed on. “Rob never auditioned, but he was definitely under consideration,” Hamm recalled.

In a shocking twist, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner decided Lowe was too big of a name for AMC’s fledgling drama.

“Matthew Weiner, God bless him, basically said, ‘We can’t have a superstar. If Rob Lowe plays this part, it’ll be the Rob Lowe show, and we don’t want that. We want it to be a mystery about who this guy is,’” Hamm recalled. “And to my tremendous benefit, that worked.”

The irony that he wouldn’t have landed Mad Men if he’d aced his West Wing audition isn’t lost on Hamm. But the actor, who lost his mother at age 10 and his father a decade later, believes his tragic childhood ultimately made him the perfect match for Draper.

“There is something about being orphaned that gives you a different sensibility. You’re older than your years. And you have more experience than most kids and a different outlook or approach to life,” he reflected. “I don’t really wear it on my sleeve, but obviously Matt picked up on that, and it worked for Don Draper, for sure. There was something haunted in Don.”