“Mad Men’s” Season 6 was a big one.
From theories about Bob Benson (James Wolk) being an alien, to the those suggesting Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) drug trip had to do with Megan Draper (Jessica Pare) actually being dead, fans’ imaginations ran wild as the episodes rolled out on AMC.
And there were plenty of big drama punches on the show too, including those involving the love life of Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss), who had fallen for her boss, Ted Chaough (Kevin Rahm).
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With Season 6 out Tuesday on Blu-Ray and DVD, AccessHollywood.com reminisced with Kevin Rahm about the big moments that went down at Sterling Cooper & Partners. And, before he was called back to work on Season 7, and still free to imagine what could happen (without having seen a single script), Kevin shared his thoughts on what he’d like to see happen with Peggy and Ted.
AccessHollywood.com: Which scene did you think was most surprising from Season 6? There were so many ‘What?!?’ moments — like Pete’s mother falling off a cruise ship and getting lost at sea.
Kevin Rahm: Oh, that was great. I think the scene with Pete and Bob Benson was great, the hand on the knee scene really got me.
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Access: And the Don Draper drug scene?
Kevin: That whole episode was one of my favorites. I show up at the beginning and end of that episode and I would come and watch them shoot stuff because I wanted to see how they were gonna do it.
Access: Were you surprised by how that episode prompted many fans to speculate that Megan was dead?
Kevin: That kind of stuff cracks me up and there was another one that Bob was an alien. … It’s flattering that people care enough about the show to spend that much mental energy on what could be possible, but it’s also, it’s just — it’s crazy. The Megan dead thing I kind of get because, was it Sharon Tate who wore that shirt? Yeah. So I guess if you really look deep into stuff, you could see how that might’ve been a clue or a hint, but the Bob Benson being an alien, that was above and beyond.
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Access: How hard it is to get that gel out of your hair? The Ted hair, it’s quite perfect, but it could be helmet head when you go home.
Kevin: It is helmet head. They call it on set… the ‘Mad Men helmet’ and they actually have this Moroccan oil… and you put it in your hands and you start rubbing your hands through it and it breaks it up. That’s how you get it out. You look a little Rico Suave on the way home, but it’s the best way as opposed to like really digging through [it] with a comb or sleeping on a helmet.
Access: Did you ever go to a store on the way home and people looked at your 1968 hair that wasn’t moving?
Kevin: No, because the first thing I do when I’m done shooting is I take off the clothes, I take off the makeup and I cover the hair, or get it out. That’s the first thing. There might have been one time when I stopped for gas or something on the way home and people are like, ‘Nice hair!’ But in LA, people have odd styles depending [on] what kind of neighborhood you’re in. There are all kinds of people who look like they’re from that time.
Access: Especially down in Silver Lake [an artsy area of Los Angeles]. … Musicians in that neck of the woods seem to love ‘Mad Men.’
Kevin: That’s the other thing I’m always surprised about. I always forget, ‘cause when I was on ‘[Desperate] Housewives’ in LA, people weren’t that into it. But outside of LA — you go anywhere else in the country or the world practically and people would freak out. … I’m used to being in LA and no one bothering me. So it’s so strange to be on this show, which doesn’t nearly have the same amount of people watching, but who watches is different. I’m always surprised. First time I got recognized for the show I was in a Mac store. … I was at the Apple store and I’m looking for help and the guy walks over and he goes, ‘Hey are you…’ Every once in a while I’ll get ‘Friends,’ and mostly it’s ‘Housewives,’ and he [said], ‘Are you Ted Chaough?’ and my arms went straight into the air like I had won something. I was like, ‘Yes! Yes I am, and that is awesome that you know that.’
Access: I read an interview you did where you said you decided to change from studying law to acting because you wanted to be on ‘LA Law.’ Have you talked about that with Harry Hamlin yet?
Kevin: Yes, and actually, in a smaller world — get this — my professor of acting, the one [who] had the biggest effect on me through college, her name is Barta Heiner, she teaches at Brigham Young University, she was in grad school with Harry Hamlin and would tell us stories about Harry Hamlin. … She would talk about how great of an actor he was and how he was great at everything, but she would also say he was very good looking and he was in the right place at the right time… but he worked really hard and she would always emphasize that for us. He was like the example who had been where we were at the time and who then made it.
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Access: What kind of stuff did you ask him about when you’re waiting in between cuts on the ‘Mad Men’ set?
Kevin: I just asked him if he remembered Barta. And my whole thing with the law vs. acting is my intent was to go to law school, just because I was from Louisiana and every boy down there who [was going] to college thinks he’s gonna be a lawyer or a doctor until they realize they don’t want to do that.
Access: What did you love about Ted and Peggy this past season? It was a roller coaster ride!
Kevin: Right! The thing I love about it the most was getting to work with Lizzie so much. That’s first and foremost. It was funny, at the end of last season when Ted decides he’s gonna go to California and Don lets him go, and all that stuff, part of me was like, ‘But I wanna keep working with Lizzie!’ (laughs).
Access: How under lock and key are scripts, just generally speaking?
Kevin: You get them a day before the table read. Someone drops them off at your house, but they have to either hand it to you or there has to be a place where it’s safe… and we are not to talk about it. It’s funny, this summer, coming up to this week, as we do interviews and stuff, people are like, ‘What’s going on?’ especially during Emmy season. It was so nice to be able to say, ‘I literally don’t know anything.’ I wish I had to lie to you right, now. I don’t have to. I literally know nothing.
Access: Since you have not seen a script yet, and can’t be influenced or betray a confidence, I need to ask you then, how would you like to see Ted and Peggy end up?
Kevin: Oh, it’s so hard. One of the things that I love that they did last year was Ted was the one guy who—
Access: Was honorable?
Kevin: ‘Honorable.’ I use that term loosely because he did cheat on his wife. I said to my wife, or she heard me do an interview and she was like, ‘Uh, you know, he did cheat.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I did. I knew that.’
Access: We didn’t know he had a wife right away.
Kevin: Exactly and I think people want them to get together. I get that impression that people are rooting for them because I think he would treat her well, once they were together, even though it didn’t seem that way at the end of last year.
Access: And the ‘70s are getting close.
Kevin: Right, some free love comin’.
“Mad Men Season 6” is out Tuesday on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download.
— Jolie Lash
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