A decade after Mad Men aired its final episode, Jon Hamm and John Slattery reunited at the ATX TV Festival to reflect on the show that redefined television cool — and left a distinct aftertaste. While much of the discussion celebrated the show’s enduring legacy, it was the bizarre behind-the-scenes habits that brought the biggest laughs, including Hamm’s vivid memories of inhaling clouds of herbal smoke and sipping onion-infused 'vodkas' at 9:30 in the morning.
"I think somebody did a count — in the pilot alone, I smoked 75 cigarettes," Hamm said, clarifying that they were herbal, not nicotine-based. "But that just means you’re still burning something." Slattery chimed in, revealing that the faux smokes were made from rose petals and marshmallow, which, despite sounding artisanal, were far from pleasant. Add to that a cocktail made of plain water and a pickled pearl onion — a stand-in for vodka — and you’ve got what Hamm dryly called "lovely breath."
Shot in Los Angeles but set in 1960s Manhattan, Mad Men was largely filmed indoors on sealed sets, where the atmosphere was thick with cinematic haze. Hamm recalled younger actors insisting on using real cigarettes to "really feel it" — a choice they regretted within days. "They were yellow and sallow," he laughed. "It was a terrible idea."
Both actors described the experience of making Mad Men as a kind of parallel life — one suspended in its own era. "You’d step into that world, with the hair, the suits, the smoke, and it felt like time travel,” Hamm said. “To still be talking about it ten years later — that’s a gift." For viewers and cast alike, Mad Men wasn’t just a television show. It was a meticulously crafted illusion — breathless, glamorous, and occasionally onion-flavoured.
