Matthew Weiner, creator of the drama TV Series Mad Men is awestruck with the idea that the life of his story and characters will come to an end, and more importantly, he fears that his actors will fade away unrecognized. Hilariously or not, he stated so in the vicinity of an International Emmy Awards Gala, which was held on 24 November. Writer and creator Matthew Weiner was given the International Emmy Founders Award, prize presented by two of his precious actors of the drama of Don Draper and 1960’s America, Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris) and John Slattery (Roger Sterling).
The theme of his speech was touching in both its delivery and word choice. The show runner dazzled the audience by stating that “Nationalism drives people apart, but entertainment brings people together” (THR), a touching confession of a dedicated (mad) man. The writer also mentioned his actors, who were his crew and family and he spoke about them in laudatory and caring words: they are seen as ‘’human vehicles who are so beautiful and so deep and never stop feeling, they do that for a living’’. The two actors of Mad Men who introduced the honorary distinction to creator Matthew Weiner, John Slattery and Christina Hendricks, kept their speeches on the same admiring note, Slattery adding a tint of humor to his intervention.
The ravishing Joan Harris of the show recognized the writer as the engine which fueled his crew with grand ideas and creative spirit: “Matt Weiner is the kind of artist who has such a stroke of genius that every day that you work with him, the cast and the crew in his presence strives for excellence, honesty and beauty”. All these attributes befit the passionate writer, who stands by his fellow actors and identifies them as the core of his dramatic (yet filled with great moments of merriment) TV series about the most prestigious advertising agency of the 1960’s.
In another The Hollywood Reporter article, he speaks about the impact of Don Draper as the main figure in the show, but in a melancholic and somehow restive way: ‘’But for the rest, probably, of Jon Hamm’s lifetime, he will be the measure of a leading man on TV…. It’s a significant impact, and the idea that he wasn’t recognized is gonna be part of that story — unless he does eventually get recognized, which would be great!’’ As the second part of the last season (part symbolically entitled The End of an Era) of Mad Men will premiere in the spring of 2015, all hope is not lost and its finale will definitely award the actors and creator Matthew Weiner with the admiration and appreciation of the audience.