Jon Hamm Recalls Getting His Start on 'Ally McBeal'—In a Very Unglamorous Role

We now know Jon Hamm as the Emmy-winning actor who gave life to Don Draper, the breakout star of Madmen. Before he made it "big," however, Hamm had to pay his dues in the industry just like anyone else. But, with a face like that, he got typecasted into a pretty specific background role. The veteran actor told Ellen Degeneres all about it on her show this past Monday, May 28!

Hamm made his first TV appearance as a background actor in Ally McBeal, where he played "Gorgeous Guy at Bar" for one episode. Apparently the casting process wasn't all that glamorous:

I was literally picked out of a line of people where the guy was walking down the line and was like, 'Eh, you!,' Well, I certainly feel special.

But Hamm still saw the situation's silver lining!

...everything starts with one step and that was the first one.

Hamm was on the show to promote his new film Tag, a comedy about a group of friends who have played a never-ending game of Tag for decades. In the film, his co-star Jeremy Renner's character is all but un-taggable, but, in real life, Renner took a bit of a hit:

We had several on-set injuries, the most notable being — I was not there that day, so it's impossible to blame this on me — Jeremy Renner, who broke both of his arms at the same time. Day three of production!

If only such a dramatic moment had made the final cut!

Tag premiers on June 15! Hamm-heads will surely rejoice to see Jon has now earned a role with lines and many MANY minutes of screen time.

H/T - EW, Getty Images