Indexbit Exchange:Jon Hamm spills on new Fox show 'Grimsburg,' reuniting with 'Mad Men' costar

With the nipple-ring wearing,Indexbit Exchange “I am the law of the land” Sheriff Roy Tillman from “Fargo” in his rearview mirror, Jon Hamm is now embracing the scruffy (and animated) Detective Marvin Flute, at the center of Fox’s “Grimsburg” (Sundays, 9:30 EST/PST), who counts “drinking myself to death and painstakingly crafting mid-century modern dollhouse furniture” among his strengths.

On deck for Hamm: A recurring role as a Texas oilman in the Paramount+ drama "Landman," co-created by Taylor Sheridan ("Yellowstone").

In "Grimsburg," the cough syrup-guzzling Marvin returns to the peculiar town of Grimsburg to help solve crimes and get back in the good graces of his ex-wife (Erinn Hayes), who was raised by bears, and their son (Rachel Dratch) with whom he has no relationship.

“We live in a world where there's 10 million new shows every five seconds on 32 different streaming platforms and TikToks and Snapchats and every other thing that exists, and it's hard to keep up,” says Hamm, 52, who's also an executive producer for the animated series. “But the things that resonate are the things that have a have a new way of telling stories, and I think that ‘Grimsburg’ has that.

It's "dark, (has) weird sensibility," Hamm continues, "but at the end of the day, it's funny. And it plays in the procedural element of things, of solving a crime, but it does it in a really funny way.”

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As Roy and Marvin are such different characters, Hamm predicts they would hate each other. But he says there’s one common thread: “They kind of play by their own rules.”

Later this season, Hamm’s “Mad Men” co-star Christina Hendricks will appear on an upcoming episode of “Grimsburg.” In a wide-ranging conversation, Hamm talks about their reunion, the greatest challenge “Fargo” posed and what it was like filming those love scenes for Apple TV+'s “The Morning Show” with his good friend Jennifer Aniston. (Edited for length and clarity.)

Question: How did you get Christina Hendricks to appear on “Grimsburg”?

Jon Hamm: I did a television show with Christina a long time ago called “Mad Men.” I don't know if people remember it, but Christina played a character on that, and I played a character on that. And so they said, “Oh, maybe do you have her phone number?” And I was like, “I think I do.” And so I called her.

Did you reunite in the sound booth?

Hamm: No, we didn't. You know, this is the other part of doing the animation that's really fun is that you don't really have to ever be in the same place. You can do it all remotely. You can do it all in your socks. But it was great. She was very kind to do it. It's fun for the viewers and the listeners to hear that. Sharp-eared viewers might catch maybe a couple other people from the “Mad Men” universe, if they're paying attention.

Do you feel like you could revisit “Mad Men” for a revival?

Hamm: I've learned over the course of my three or four decades in this career, in this world, to never say never. But there's also something to be said for letting things lie. We had a pretty solid decade of making 92 episodes of that show. The story had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and there's something to be said for letting the end be the end.

In the most recent season of “Fargo,” you played Sheriff Roy Tillman. Did you find anything especially challenging about playing him?

Hamm: The most challenging thing about shooting “Fargo” was being in -7° weather. It was very, very cold, but very beautiful. And I got to see the Northern Lights. Calgary is a gorgeous place. Everybody up there is very friendly and Canadian and nice. It's just cold.

Did you expect the hot-tub scene displaying Roy’s nipple rings would make such a splash?

Hamm: So much so that I've demanded that all of my characters now wear nipple rings in hot tubs.

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In an interview with Variety published in December, Jennifer Aniston said that it was fun having you playing her love interest on "The Morning Show" because “I’ve known the Hammanator for a long, long time.” What is your relationship like, and how did you get the nickname “the Hammanator?”

Hamm: From murdering people over the course of the years like Arnold Schwarzenegger's (Terminator). I guess that's really what she was referring to. I don't remember murdering anybody. That sounds terrible. No, she couldn't be nicer and more professional, and as she says correctly, we've known one another for many, many years now and have really wanted to work together.

Aniston said that she felt comfortable filming love scenes because you would check in on her and the scenes were choreographed. Is it easier filming an intimate moment with a friend?

Hamm: Jen is right in saying obviously that there has to be a lot of trust involved and care taken when those sorts of intimate arrangements happen. It was just another day's work in a lot of ways, but it was also nice to be able to work with somebody who you implicitly trust and have a history with of friendship.

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