Q&A - Ryan Cartwright (John Hooker)
Q: Did you know much about the show before you joined the cast?
A: I had seen some of the show. I was always taken aback by the acting on it -- everyone on it is so good. Once I got it, I realized how big a show it was. I'd tell my friends, "Oh I got a job on this, I got a job on that." This was the only time when they were like, "Oh wow! ... I'll be watching it anyway."
Q: So how did you come to get the part?
A: It was after pilot season, I had done the rounds and no one was buying what I was selling. They just called me in. It was one audition. I didn't think I'd get it; I thought it'd be a kind of stereotyped handsome Brit that they'd want. But I guess they're a lot smarter -- and luckily I wasn't that.
It was a very quick turnaround. With pilot season, you have to jump through so many hoops, there are so many people in the room, you end up doing four or five auditions. You're just quaking by the end of it. This was just the opposite: "Yup, fine, you're working tomorrow." I had to quickly step up to the plate.
Q: What did you do to prepare?
A: I looked at documentaries and stock footage from the period because they're very specific as to when it was. I didn't want to pollute myself by thinking I'd have heard the later Beatles catalogue. So I listened to some early Dylan, Beatles. I looked at what was going on the British side, the Carnaby Street stuff. I tried to look at the accents, like exactly how clipped it would have been.
Q: You've joined a cast famous for their camaraderie. How have you been getting along with them?
A: They hate me. As soon as they say "Cut," I have to leave the set. No, they're lovely.
Q: Not calling you Moneypenny, I hope?
A: They wouldn't dare. A lot of the guys play Call of Duty 4, the Xbox game. A lot of the time, we just talk about that. What are the best guns, where are the best hiding places.
Q: You've been on other shows before both in U.S. and U.K. Has the experience been different from the other series work you've done?
A: The only newness is the reception is a lot larger here. There's a lot more advertising. It's also a helluva good show. There are not many shows as good in America, or in England. With regards to day-to-day, I've found that as with most of the best jobs I've done, it's a nice, calm set. No tension, no jostling. Everyone's really mellow.
Q: The ladies of Sterling Cooper swoon over your accent. Have you found that to be true in real life?
A: Of course! I always say Los Angeles is the place where British people come to exceed their worth. It's quite true of everything: The British accent does open doors.
Q: Do you have a favorite moment from the previous two seasons?
A: I remember there was one bit I really liked. Between Peggy and Pete. It's just one little scene where they're in the office and he was talking how he'd like a wife to bring a bloody steak and cook it for him. That was something, but also the moment after, you follow Peggy reeling from that, and she had to buy herself something to eat. I love those sort of quiet moments, when things calm down and you get to actually know the people. In most shows, they'd cut those off-moments because they think the action has stopped.
Q: Do you read reviews, or follow what the legions of fans have been saying?
A: Only generally, if I catch something in the paper or online. I don't delve too deep into reviews. I saw clips of the Times Square party and I noticed lots of friends using a Mad Men avatar.
Q: Did you make John Hooker one?
A: 'Course I did.
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