10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Mad Men
7. The Women Of Mad Men Auditioned For Each Others' Roles
In any show where there is a big ensemble cast, it is quite normal for actors to read for more than one of the roles. But with Mad Men, the actors could tell how special the show was and therefore clambered at the chance to be involved in the pilot, especially the ladies.
When watching Mad Men it's hard to imagine the cast being different (apart from Bobby obviously), and maybe the casting directors felt the same way when auditioning the women, because we seemed to have gotten the perfect cast.
Nevertheless, actress January Jones did not feel the same. Jones and her agent thought it best for her to audition for the role of Peggy, as she had much more to do in the pilot episode. But when she finished the audition the casting directors were gobsmacked that she would audition for that role when she was perfect for Don's cold but glamourous wife Betty. Jones was hesitant to play the role, because of the minimal screen time, so Weiner wrote her two scenes to audition with that then became actual scenes later in season 1.
Another Mad Men actress that auditioned for the role of Peggy, along with the role of Midge (Don Draper's bit on the side) was Christina Hendricks. Hendricks landed an audition for Draper's new secretary, but both her and the casting director knew it wasn't a good fit. She went on to audition for Midge, which again wasn't a good fit, and sexy secretary Joan Holloway. Which, thank god, she went on to play - incredibly might I add.