Guess who I got some face time with in Rio during the Diageo Reserve World Class Finals?! If you’re a Mad Men fan a glimpse of that gorgeous flaming red mane should have you jumping up and down by now 🙂 Christina Hendricks (aka Joan from Mad Men) is Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s first Game Changer and was their spokesperson over in Rio during World Class, which is why I got to meet her! In fact I got the whole interview on tape and have transcribed it verbatim below. Suffice to say she was absolutely lovely and every bit as stunning as she is on the show. #SuddenlyStarstruck xoxo
MissMalini: Hi Christina, so nice to meet you!
Christina Hendricks: You too, oh my gosh, I love your camera!
*So my new LPC got a whole lot of love in Rio btw, I think because it’s pink!
MM: It’s the Nikon 1 J1, when I saw it I said I must have it 🙂
CH: I love it, it’s really good 🙂
MM: Ok first up I have to say, I’m such a huge fan of the show (Mad Men)…
CH: Thank you!
MM: …and I’m from Bombay, India… and everyone I know loves you and your style in the show.
CH: Oh that’s exciting, fantastic, wow!
MM: So I even asked my Twitter followers today, what I should ask you when I meet you and they wanted to know if you’d ever be doing a Bollywood movie?
CH: Gosh, I would love to!
MM: Do you watch Bollywood movies?
CH: I have seen some of them, I just love the music and the colors, and it’s so dramatic and looks very very fun!
MM: So I was at the Johnnie Walker Blue Game Changer event yesterday where you tried the three serves, what were they like?
CH: They were delicious, they were all really different from one another. All very very specific. One of them was really focused on the journey you can take with the Scotch, the final drink where you can sort of taste the difference as you go… and Manabu’s was really amazing, sort of this delicious pickle-y fruit flavour to it…
MM: Sour apricot right?
CH: Ya, it was fantastic! And the first one was beautiful and aromatic with rose water, they were all really special.
MM: So do you have a favorite cocktail that you love? I know you love your whiskey. but is there a cocktail you like?
CH: I tend to sort of constantly try new things, often times like if a bar has a specialty drink I’ll try it. Try whatever they’re doing but I kind of just go back to the classic and have it neat or on the rocks.
MM: And do you have any favorite bars around the world, that you love?
CH: Well in Los Angeles, the ones I know a little bit better like a bar called Varnish and one called The Roger Room and in London I just love going to the local pubs and being in the neighborhood, can’t think of any other ones off the top of my head…
MM: So I’m going to come back to Mad Men now since I’m such a huge fan of the show, and you have such a strong character, you’re like the most well-rounded and creative female character on the show… is it ever difficult in a modern age to stay in character? Do you ever feel like challenging someone on set?
CH: *laughs* well thank you! No… I have to say at the beginning, probably most in Season I and Season II we would get the scripts and these very sort of sexist things would happen, or racist things… and we would all go “oh!” *holds her head* “oooh gosh!” and we’d all sort of cringe and now we’re SO used to it… that when guest stars come on set… and we all sit together and do a table read together, and we’re all so used to it that we kinda smirk and stuff and all the guest stars are like “oh!” *holds her head* “oooh nooo!” and we’re kinda like “heh heh heh” *laughs* – used to it! But thank goodness, things have changed so much!
MM: Yes, so much!
CH: …that it’s very interesting… not only historically but as an actress, to play something that is so different.
MM: So do you have any control on the character, are you able to influence the personality of Joan at all?
CH: Absolutely… not!
MM: No? Really?!
CH: No, Matt Weiner is a brilliant writer as well as the rest of the writers and he has a very very distinct idea of who these people are, and how their interactions best tells the story. And he’s incredibly specific!
MM: Will there ever be a Mad Men movie?
CH: *laughs* that would be amazing! I already feel like it seems like a movie, even though it’s only 50 minutes a week. But I think a lot of people these days don’t watch week to week, a lot of people buy a DVD set and watch it as a whole, so to me it has a very cinematic feel already… so it would make sense to me that it could be made into a movie… It’s hard for me because a movie has a beginning, a middle and an end; and we’ve been on this journey… so I hate the idea of an end!
MM: Of course, me too! Do you have a favorite character in the show? I love your character but is there any one character you really like in the show?
CH: I really am in love with all the characters, different times… different… one of my favorite characters that sometimes you don’t see as much is Ken Cosgrove, he’s one of the guys in the office, and he always has these little one liners that are so funny to me and he does them with such a straight face, and he cracks me up, EVERY TIME and I just laugh and laugh and laugh! *laughs* He’s one of my favorites!
MM: And I love your style and I love Joan’s color blocking, does that influence your personal style at all?
CH: It has! I don’t think I would have owned this skirt seven years ago before the show, I think I’ve learned a lot about tailoring and fit from Janie Bryant, who’s our costume designer, she’s amazing. And although the 1960s is not my personal style, as you can see I like my lace and the ruffles, I’ve learned to balance them and to mix and match them in a more flattering way.
MM: And do you have a message for your Indian fans, who love the show and love your style…
CH: Thank you for watching! It’s exciting to know that so far away from home people are enjoying it and it’s having so much effect, I’ve always wanted to come to India, hopefully I’ll make it there next year!
MM: Oh you should! People will go crazy! And do you have a style tip in terms of your one go to outfit that always makes you feel pretty?
CH: Um… pencil skirt and a blouse! I learned that from Mad Men *laughs*
MM: Perfect! It was so lovely meeting you!
CH: It was so nice meeting you too!
And there you have it! Besides Mad Men watch her in these feature films Struck by Lightning, Seconds of Pleasure and Ginger and Rosa. And for now click through loads more pics from the event here!
Special props to the gentleman who presented the Johhnie Walker Blue “Perfect Serve” to us over at a gorgeous luxury bar in Rio called Fasano. Everyone commented that they wished they had his oratory skills. Jonathan Driver – Global Brand Ambassador for Johnnie Walker Blue Label – the man was born for Shakespeare, but waxing eloquent about the super-premium perfect blend and intoxicating wave of JW Blue isn’t half bad either! Seriously, you have to see this to believe it!…
PS. Nice to meet you Hot Bar Chick! I checked out your blog on Mumbai nightlife, spiffy work (and yes we love The Ghetto.) Now come back and visit so I can give you Bombay nightlife tour, MissMalini style 🙂 xoxo