‘Mad Men’ Staff Recalls Getting the Job and Favorite Moments on Set

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Semi Chellas (co-exec producer) on leaving her native Canada to join the show
I had a TV agent in L.A., and was visiting here in 2011 with my family. I told the agent, ‘I have a life in Canada; I can’t really move. But if there is ever a job on ‘Mad Men,’ that would change everything.’ We were supposed to be flying back home, and the day before, I got a call saying there was a position. Friday morning, I came in at 11 for a meeting. I was just so excited to see the people making ‘Mad Men,’ I felt like I was interviewing them. I got a call saying, ‘They want to hire you, and you start on Monday.’ I found a place to live that weekend.”

Carly Wray (staff writer) on seguing from assistant to writer
“I wrote ‘In Care Of,’ where Don melts down during the Hershey pitch. You’re the writer’s assistant throughout the year, and I was like, ‘I’m going to get a shot at this scene?’ It was so nerve-wracking to write this giant monologue. Then as the writer’s assistant, you end up rewriting your own script with him. I figured he would just throw out what I wrote — that scene had lived in his head for so long. But he was open to hearing thoughts on it and having input. That was such a rewarding experience to feel welcomed by Matt to really participate.”

Michael Uppendahl (director) on Weiner’s approach to working with helmers
“You have a tone meeting, where Matt goes through the script. You talk thoroughly through every moment. He can get specific about blocking and the way people interact in a scene. So by the time you get to the set, you have a hell of a lot of information. It spoils you working here; you know you’re going to get a great script and work with fantastic actors. It will be challenging in all of the most rewarding ways.”

Scott Hornbacher (exec producer/director) on best moments
“My two favorite episodes are probably ‘The Jet Set’ and ‘The Hobo Code.’ In ‘The Jet Set,’ Don comes to California and jumps in a convertible with Joy and runs off to Palm Springs. In ‘The Hobo Code,’ you see Don’s childhood for the first time. I get goosebumps just talking about it. There’s a scene where Peggy dances over to Pete and he says, ‘I don’t like you this way.’ It gets me every
single time.”