Jon Hamm Auditioned To Be On The O.C. And That Would Have Been Bad

Kelly Keegs1/13/2021 4:20 PM

Although Jon Hamm is best known for portraying Don Draper on Mad Men, he revealed this week that he auditioned to play another iconic TV dad four years prior to landing his breakout role.
Believe it or not, Hamm almost starred in The O.C. as none other than Sandy Cohen. The part ultimately went to Peter Gallagher, of course, and we can't imagine it any other way.

Jon Hamm is a stud. He's funny, handsome, mysterious, sexy, etc etc. He can play a douche bag better than anyone else. But could he have played SANDY COHEN? Beloved father of Seth, adoptive father of Ryan, husband of Kirsten, King of the DA's office? Not a chance. Peter Gallagher (the actual Sandy Cohen) is so expressive, so magnetic - that's what Sandy needed to be. A sturdy backbone for the family, a corny ass Jewish dad who worries about his kids but has that laid back California style of raising them. Watching Sandy raise Seth and Ryan felt familiar, comforting, inviting, all of the above. He's just a great fucking dad.

Giphy Images.

Don Draper? Real shitty dad. Drunk driver, womanizer, cheater, abusive, absent, toxic…just the fucking worst dad ever. Jon Hamm KILLS that role. He's comes across so inherently cruel and dismissive and does a fantastic job of nailing the typical awful family dynamic during that time period. Fast talkin' ad sales money man in Manhattan. Smokin' cigs and beating your wife up. Jon Hamm's your guy.