When Mickey Scarpato’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) stepson Leon is killed in a construction “accident,” few people in the working class neighborhood of God’s Pocket are sorry that he’s gone. Mickey tries to hide this news from his wife, Jeannie (Christina Hendricks), but when she tries to uncover the truth about her son, Mickey finds himself stuck in a life and death struggle between a body he can’t bury, a wife he can’t please and a debt he can’t pay. John Slattery’s directorial debut, co-written by Slattery and Alex Metcalf, is based on a gritty 1983 novel by Pete Dexter (The Paperboy, Paris Trout). In addition to Hendricks and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, God’s Pocket stars Richard Jenkins, John Turturro and Joyce Van Patten. I talked to John Slattery and Christina Hendricks in a roundtable discussion shortly before the finale of this season’s Mad Men.
What was it like working with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman on this film?
John Slattery: I feel very lucky that he liked it enough to want to do it in the first place. I’m grateful for the opportunity of working with him. I think the finished product shows the vulnerability and all the emotional and intellectual intelligence that actor has combined with his technical wherewithal.
Christina Hendricks: He had such warmth and a real sense of humor on and off camera. Phil was a very giving actor — obviously someone who’s listening and watching in such a way that you can just drop into the scene immediately. It’s a very similar feeling that I have when I work with Jon [Hamm] on Mad Men. As an actor, you constantly strive to find these real moments where you actually feel like something just happened to you. I always feel that way when I work with Jon and I definitely felt it here with both Phil and Richard Jenkins. It’s about as much as you can ask for. It was a gift to work with Phil. Just being on set with him and watching him work — you just sort of gain knowledge from him.
Christina, your character’s look in this film is very different from what you’re used to on Mad Men — almost anti-glamorous.
(Feigning outrage) What? How dare you!
But you’re still gorgeous!
Thank you! (Laughs.) You know, it’s funny, when I read the script I had a picture of Jeannie in my head.
John: Remember, you sent me a picture of what you thought she should look like.
Christina: Right, I sent you a picture of my ideas for hair, makeup and how to create a feeling of that time period. John said that’s what he’d been thinking, too. He liked the idea that Jeannie was going to have a very different look from what we’d been doing, it was nice to mix it up. The costuming was very specific and kind of bizarre. I’m in this weird terrycloth dress for three-quarters of the movie! I thought that represented the character very well.
Both of your careers are pretty intertwined at this point. Do you remember the first time that you met each other?
It must have been at the first table read. I don’t remember it specifically. I asked John earlier today if he remembered the dinner we all went to afterwards and he said he didn’t think he was there.
John: Yeah, I don’t think I was. I was doing Rabbit Hole on Broadway back then.
Christina: But I definitely remember our first day of work together.
John: Me, too — it was Day 1! We were in the office and you did a long walk through the bullpen and then you made that great speech to Peggy: “Go home, put a paper bag over your head and cut the eyes out and look yourself objectively.” Jon Hamm and I walked in at the end of it. I remember a lot of the day was spent on that scene.
Christina: Yeah, and it’s interesting because it sort of established the relationship between Roger and Joan. There’s a line when they walk in as I’m talking to Peggy and I say, “Good morning, Mr, Draper. Roger.” I said “Roger” very flirtatiously, not knowing any future storyline but at the end of the day, Matt [Weiner] said, “If this show goes, Joan and Roger will have a little something-something.” And I was like, “Yeah!!”
And now you’re working as actor and director. Was that experience surprising in any way?
John: One thing I remember is that Christina kept saying how nervous she was before certain scenes and I was thinking, “Wow, it doesn’t show at all!” Phil had sent me a text about how much he admired John Turturro and how nervous he was about working with him and Richard Jenkins said that he was a big fan of Christina’s and was nervous about working with her, but none of these people showed it at all, you would never know! That’s good acting.
Christina: Or just a survival instinct.
John: Right. You’re pretending to be someone who’s not nervous!
John, I loved that you gave your mother-in-law [Joyce Van Patten] such a great, juicy role. Was that the first time you two have worked together?
Yes. And she was great.
Christina: She was amazing.
John: There was this one very technical scene where a lot of things could have gone wrong, but she was just so ridiculously professional that we got it in one take. She’s been acting for a long time, and it shows. In those scenes with Phil and John it immediately looked like she had this lifelong history with them. That’s Joyce — she just jumped in and did her thing.
This season of Mad Men is so great. How do the producers manage to keep everything about the show such a secret?
Christina: They ensure secrecy with extreme threats.
John: They’ll kidnap one of your kids!
Christina: I think it’s a testament to how much the people involved respect the show. People have come and gone every season and they always keep the secrets. You could say, “Well, I’m not on the show anymore so it doesn’t matter to me,” but they know that it’s exciting for the audience to not know what’s going to happen. For us who are still involved it’s an easy thing to do, but I’ve been very impressed how the people who’ve come and gone through the years have been so respectful.
How do you feel about the show ending?
I’m overwhelmed with all sorts of feelings about it — mostly sadness and pride. I will walk away from this show feeling very proud and possessive of Joan and the whole experience. I’ll hold it very close to me.