This is absolutely killing me! Usually, when I’m looking through premiere photos, I’m keeping my eye on two things – the fashion and the hot dudes. I missed the hottest of the hot dudes when I was doing Friday’s A-Team premiere post, and for that, I apologize. Jon “Motherf-ckin’” Hamm was there! With his girlfriend, who I hate only because I want him for myself. Jennifer Westfeldt needs to stop off. Or at least stop posing with him! I need my solo Hamm photos.

Anyway, yes, The Hamm was at The A-Team premiere, and he was also at the Spike TV Guys Choice awards last night as well. Can you feel it? It’s getting time for a new season of Mad Men! The Hamm is getting his face out there, getting ready to do some major promotion. It’s going to be awesome. We’re going to have a Hamm post every day! There aren’t many photos of The Hamm at the event, you’ll just have to content yourself with The Hamm and Bradley Cooper (who looks really happy to be with The Hamm, I’m just sayin’), and one of The Hamm solo, on stage, looking gorgeous.

Meanwhile, I just found this lovely little interview with The Hamm at The Vine. He talks about Mad Men, hosting SNL, and style. The full piece is here, but here’s the whole piece:

Q; How does your character evolve in the third season?
The Hamm: Matt (Matthew Weiner – creator) and I talk a lot about, ‘Do people ever really change, fundamentally or profoundly?’ Don, from his history, has certainly worn a lot of hats and changed quite viscerally. But does he fundamentally change? I think he tries to change and very often, he backslides into his actual way of being. I think he’s trying to be a better person, a better husband, a better father. He is trying to be a better man, but maybe he is not cut out for that.

Q: Do you think Don Draper is the type of man who is part of a dying breed?
A: Definitely in this day and age. I think it was sort of a dying breed back in 1963 too. Don is very much set up as a bridge between the old Eisenhower era, World War II crowd and the young kids who are coming up who will be the Vietnam era kids and the counter culture and baby boomer generation. He’s very much right in the middle of those two worlds with a foot firmly planted in one. He really has a friendly relationship with Roger Sterling who is the last of the old guard of that generation and yet Don also has to speak to and sell and convince this up and coming generation. Daily he is wrestling with that. Don is trying to find middle ground and where he fits in with the hierarchy with varying degrees of success.

Q: How has your character’s impeccable dress sense affected your own personal sense of style?
A: Well had you seen me come here 45 minutes ago, you would have been a bit surprised. (laughs) I clean up well, I’ll put it that way. I don’t wear suits every day, but I do get it. I do like the look and there’s a formality that should be respected in our lives. You don’t go to a wedding dressed in jeans and flip flops in my world. I have a lot more suits now that fit better which makes it easier to do that kind of thing. But I do very much like wearing this stuff. It’s comfortable, it’s tailored and that’s a pretty good look on anybody.

Q: I was wondering if, unlike most other actors in Hollywood, you have to maintain a bad health regime in order to be faithful to your character?
A: I don’t know how deliberate it is (laughs), but the stress of making 13 episodes of television is significant. I certainly don’t drink as frequently or to the excess that Don does, nor do I smoke as much. All of that is not quite a daily part of my life. It would be impossible to show up at 6.30am after drinking all day the day before and looking relatively okay on camera. But the sense of Don’s health changing for the worse is a very real concern for the show and for this person. These guys lived hard and they have to deal with the ramifications of that lifestyle. Roger has had two heart attacks. He might have more. This lifestyle did take it out of you. As much as they wanted to be perceived as these mad men, impervious, you know, it was a badge of honour to be able to go out all night and show up the next day to work, ready to go, shaved and looking good. But no, I try to keep it on an even keel or else I’d be face down right now.

Q: What other opportunities has Mad Men given you in terms of your career?
A: Well, I got to host Saturday Night Live and it was almost like it never happened it was so amazing. It was such a whirlwind, such a dream. They asked me once before to do it, but I had longstanding plans with my girlfriend. We were travelling to Europe so I couldn’t do it. I put it down to a missed opportunity. I thought our show doesn’t have the numbers for me to be a host and I mean, I’m not Justin Timberlake – yet. (laughs) But they came back to me with another date which did work out and it was exciting and terrifying. That stage, that show has so much history. I remember when I was a little kid watching it. To actually be the host of it was like summer camp. It was so much fun. When I did 30 Rock, it was a similar situation. I love the fact it’s all so opposite to what I do on the show day to day, so it was a tremendous opportunity. When something like this happens, this overnight success as it’s called, you pop up on a lot more people’s radar. Your phone starts ringing a lot more.

Q: What have you learned most from playing Don Draper?
A: You have to manage a lot of people and a lot of expectations and as an actor. Many can get caught up in the idea of ‘this is all about me. There is no world outside.’ I’ve been able to avoid that, I think, pretty successfully while also coming to terms with the fact that a lot of this show is about me. It’s been an interesting balancing act.

[From The Vine]

“I’m not Justin Timberlake – yet.” Oh, Hamm. Don’t set Timberlake as your goal, because you are already above and beyond him. I hope SNL invites Jon back next season – he was a great host, and he deserves to come back.

Hamm photos from The A-Team premiere on June 3, 2010. Credit: WENN. Additional photos from the Spike TV event, courtesy of PicApp/Getty.