Betty Draper, the Feminist? January Jones on the Difference Between Mothering in ‘Mad Men’ & ‘Good Kill’

When I first read the script I loved it so much. Then I was like, “Ugh. It’s another wife and mother role. And she’s not communicating with her husband. Is there a risk in that for me not to do something like that because it’s so similar?” But then I realized the similarities end after she’s a wife and a mother. If I’m going to limit myself to not playing wives and mothers then I’m not going to work very much. [laughs] Because so many women are a wife and a mother or a wife or a mother. That doesn’t mean they’re not interesting and don’t have a story to tell. I thought her story was very much different than the other wife and mother that I play. She does try to communicate with her husband and she does try to draw things out of him. And Betty isn’t just a flat character. She’s gone through so many different things and with so many different people. I feel like she changed every season. So I can’t compare the two. I don’t think people should compare the two really. But it was a whole other set of challenges for me to do. I was scared to do it, which is always a good sign. If I don’t understand something and I’m scared of it, I usually think that I should do it because I’m going to educate myself and grow. I had to do a lot of research on post traumatic stress disorder and people who are either married or a part of someone who is dealing with that. They had two drone pilots there and even though I wasn’t in those scenes I wanted to hear what they had to say. So I learned a lot about a lot of stuff.

It’s intimidating as an actor not to know what Matt is going to do. 

Yes. Probably just that. And I said to him very early on, “Don’t be afraid to challenge me.” And each season I was either learning to ride a horse, learning to speak Italian, or having prosthetics. I felt a little bit like a character actor, to be honest. I had physical trauma and it was super scary, but there’s no acting school that could have taught me more. 

READ MORE: Christina Hendricks on the ‘Catwalk’ of ‘Mad Men’ and Not Needing a Happy Ending

Oh God. It was like nine years of my life. Over nine years. Probably just the last day of work because we were all there and everyone was crying. It was saying goodbye to every character. It was very emotional, but a full circle way to end it. They scheduled it so the core group of actors had their last scene. It was very difficult. And the champagne toasts. It was like, “Come to so-and-so’s last take in this last scene.” We would toast and cry and that person would make a speech. It was good to get it all out, but it was hard. And we stayed late and we played games. We TP’d Matt’s car. No one wanted to go home. It’s been cool now that the show is coming out and we’ve gotten to hang out and do all this press. And talk about it a bit.

I didn’t see last night’s yet!

Yeah. We don’t get to see it early. Pshht. 

I think [going back to school] is an awesome thing for her. I’d like to see her in her 80s and she’s like a renowned author or psychologist. That would be an awesome place for her to be, to end up. To be informed. Someone reminded me a few weeks ago, I don’t know who it was, that Betty is the only female cast member — or any cast member — who you actually see read literature about feminism. I think we think about her as the least inclined to worry about that sort of stuff, but she’s the one you seeing reading “The Feminine Mystique.” It’s there. She’s just not that interested in it. And Matt always said too that she’s the kind of woman, and Joan too, that has her style. She peaked in the mid ’50s and she’s never going to change her style or her way of thinking, even though she’s aware of what else is going on. But, I think that she’s grown a lot.

No one’s going to do it unless it’s Matt. And Matt’s not going to write it. I don’t think it will happen. I think the most interesting spinoff, if there was going to be one, would be Sally. Or Peggy. Probably Sally. I don’t know about a Betty sequel. It’s not going to happen [laughs]. 

I started in comedy and every actor on “Mad Men” has amazing comedic timing. I’m an actor. I want to try all different kinds of roles. I don’t just want to do drama. I think it’s also silly when people ask if I want to do TV or movies. It’s the same to do both these days. They are shot the same way. The only difference is that when you do TV, you don’t feel it as you’re doing it, but you have to realize that you’re in peoples homes. More people watch TV now than ever before. You have to realize that you’re making more of an impact because of that. But I feel like it was a nice therapeutic way to shed Betty, in a way. To go into a comedy and just to go to work and laugh. Have it be a little lighter. Also the freedom of improv and different creative experiences.

Lastly, and this is important, your Instagram account. It’s the greatest thing going on right now. 

Yay! 

I don’t know if I consciously created a brand. I just know that a year ago my sister forced me to create an Instagram account because I needed to be quote unquote “relevant.” And I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I was like, “So, I just post a picture?” I didn’t know what a hashtag was. I thought it was a side note, like a parentheses. I didn’t know you could click on it until like two months ago. I wonder what happens when someone clicks on one of my hashtags? 

Yeah. I have fun with it because it shows a side of me that audiences don’t know. My family and friends certainly do, but it’s a way for me to give a little bit. I’ve always been very private and I want it to remain that way, but it’s a way for me to give them something that is very much me without giving away any privacy.

I know man! She texted me and was like, “Guess who just joined Instagram?” I was like, “Not you.” And she was like “Yeah!” And I tagged her in something and she went from 300 hundred followers to like 32k. She was like “you’re the best” and I was like “Yeah man.” It was cool. She’s really funny too. I hope people see that. 

READ MORE: Jon Hamm on Ending ‘Mad Men’ & the Challenges of Playing an ‘Incredibly Troubled’ Don Draper