Smoking, Drinking and Sex (At Work)

by Gerri Miller

He and Hamm point to what Staton calls “trashy reality shows” as a sign that we haven’t progressed much since the ’60s—and may have regressed. “I don’t know how popular The Hills or Girls Gone Wild would have been in 1962,” muses Hamm. “The idea of putting yourself out there with a complete lack of dignity in an attempt to grab fame or attention wasn’t considered sexy at all back in the day. All the women on our show are incredibly sexy, and they’re not walking around in bikinis or less than that.” Staton concurs, noting that “there was more left to the imagination back then. The idea of what is sexy has changed, and I think something has been lost.” And when it comes to relations between the sexes, says Hamm, “We’ve learned a lot of lessons, but we probably still have far to go.”

In Season One, the married Don Draper cheated on his wife Betty (January Jones) with client Rachel Menken (Maggie Siff) and beatnik chick Midge Daniels (Rosemarie DeWitt), but the marriage has been troubled even without the infidelity. Their relationship lacks “communication, loyalty and honesty,” says Jones, who doesn’t believe the couple is right for each other but married “because they thought it was what they should do.” No matter how unhappy she is, “I don’t think that separating is an option for Betty,” Jones opines, stressing that she’s nothing like her character and would “definitely not” stand for infidelity from a partner.

Similarly, Hamm is quick to point out the differences between his character and himself. “Don is a pretty emotionally shut off guy. I like to think I’m more emotionally available,” says the actor, who is involved in a long-time relationship with actress Jennifer Westfeldt and thinks he’s “definitely” a better boyfriend than Don is a husband.

Don’s boss Roger Sterling is also a cheating spouse, and not even a heart attack in the midst of a near-naked game of horsie in his office has deterred him. “It’s ‘Thank God I’m still alive, I’m going to be a better person,’ and as soon as he has a cocktail and a cigarette it’s back to the old Roger,” says John Slattery, who received an Emmy nomination for his role. Why does Roger cheat? “Because nobody says no to him. He has his charms, and he’s in this position of power.”