Jon Hamm is, like, really good looking. Like, too good looking. Like, annoyingly good looking. In short, Jon Hamm is gorgeous and that’s the least interesting thing about him. In addition to reminding all of us that we will never be Jon Hamm, Jon Hamm also dabbles in acting from time to time. Of course, Hamm is best known for his role in AMC’s Mad Men, as the charismatic yet elusive Don Draper. It is a role he played for 7 years and he absolutely made it his own. Some people only recognize Hamm from his time on Madison Avenue, but there’s a lot more to the man than just a grey flannel suit and an Old-Fashioned.
Jon Hamm has been acting for more than 20 years and, in those years, he has portrayed a wide array of characters, ranging from cops to robbers, ad man to bad man, hero, villain, and everything in between. Hamm has been hilarious in his comedic roles and downright haunting in his dramatic roles. There’s a darkness to the man, but there is also evidence that his star will shine for years to come. If you want further proof of this, pour yourself an Old-Fashioned and keep reading, because we are ranking the 10 Best Jon Hamm Roles That Aren’t Don Draper.
10) Matt Trent – Black Mirror (2014)
Black Mirror is one of television’s most provocative series. It’s an anthology series that blends real-world events with science fiction, horror, drama, comedy and more. Black Mirror is complex, thought-provoking and intense. This is what led Hamm to a guest starring role for one episode, entitled ‘White Christmas.’ To share too many plot details would be to give away the ending but, basically, Hamm plays a character named Matt Trent who is occupying an isolated outpost in the snowy wilderness, along with another man named Joe Potter. The two tell each other about their respective lives and as more details emerge, the audience begins to realize there is more than meets the eye when it comes to these two characters. Hamm does a remarkable job of making you forget all about Don Draper in this episode.
9) Dwight Broadbeck – Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Everyone loves a good noir-mystery, and this 2018 film from director Drew Goddard provided plenty of twists, turns and, well, more twists. It also provided plenty of Hamm, as he portrayed an undercover FBI agent posing as a salesman named Laramie Seymour Sullivan (his real name was Dwight Broadbeck) who finds himself sharing an isolated hotel with a handful of strangers. Each has their own secrets that will come to light sooner or later. For his part, Broadbeck is a rather heroic figure and audiences get to be firmly on Hamm’s side for what seems like the first time.
8) J.B. Bernstein- Million Dollar Arm (2014)
Speaking of Hamm playing a good guy, there is this 2014 film from Disney. Million Dollar Arm is about a struggling sports agent named J.B. Bernstein who, in a last-ditch effort to save his career, travels to India in search of the next great baseball star. He finds just that, plus some, in two teenage boys named Dinesh and Rinku. As Bernstein teaches the Indian boys about baseball, they teach him about the value of teamwork, family and unconditional love. Because this is a Disney movie. And that’s what all Disney movies are about. Still, it’s nice to once again be able to root for a guy who is usually kind of slimy.
7) Adam Frawley – The Town (2010)
If Jon Hamm never got into acting, he could probably have a pretty solid career as an FBI agent because he looks exactly like one. And yes, we know there’s more to being an FBI agent than just looking like one but, like, he really looks like one. In the 2010 film The Town, directed by Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm portrays, surprise, an FBI agent named Adam Frawley. Frawley is hot on the trail of Doug MacRay (played by Affleck) as long as some of his fellow bank robbers. While the story focuses more on MacRay and his journey, Frawley is no slouch and Hamm reminds audiences just how dashing he can be when he’s on the right side of the law. The best part about The Town is that it pits the guy who was Batman against the guy who should be Batman. Please, Warner Brothers. Let Jon Hamm be Batman.
6) Tom Adkins – Stolen (2010)
In this film from 2010, Hamm plays (surprise!) a police detective attempting to locate his missing ten-year-old son. As he’s searching for his own boy, he becomes entangled in another cold case that leads him to the remains of a different young boy who disappeared 50 years earlier. Stolen is an extremely somber film that you have to be in a very specific mood to watch. We believe that mood is called ‘masochistic.’ Anyway, Hamm performs admirably. This is especially impressive because Stolen was Hamm’s first starring role on the big screen. Stolen is not a happy movie, but it’s a fascinating one and is a very solid entry in Hamm’s filmography.
5) Ted – Bridesmaids (2011)
In our wildest dreams, we are Don Draper, the suave, charismatic mystery man who can bed anybody he wants. In actuality, we’re probably more like Ted, the character Hamm portrayed in the 2011 film Bridesmaids. Ted isn’t a bad guy, per se. But he’s not awesome either. He’s the kinda-sorta friend with benefits to Kristen Wiig’s character and he is sort of the epitome of every bad one night stand a woman has ever had. For example, after waking up to Wiig’s character, Ted fires off this gem:
“This is awkward. I really want you to leave but I don’t know how to say it without sounding like a dick.”
Listen, we’ve all been there. But Ted was the only one man enough to vocalize how much it sucks waking up to somebody that you’re only interested in banging. Good on you, Ted. You’re not the villain of this film. You’re the hero. And not all heroes wear capes. But some do. Like Batman. Please let Jon Hamm be Batman, guys.
4) Will Beam – Nostalgia (2018)
Nostalgia is a movie about, well, nostalgia. It’s about the pain of the past appearing in the present via pictures, postcards, and other mementos. In the film, Jon Hamm plays Will, the brother of Catherine Keener who experiences an unspeakable tragedy. Nostalgia isn’t a great film unless you’re a nostalgic person, but Hamm gives a subtle, reserved performance that was last seen in Stolen. You can tell Hamm wants to say something in this film. But the script and direction never really afforded him the opportunity. Still, it was a pleasure to sit with Hamm in his car and go along for the ride.
3) Buddy – Baby Driver (2017)
The world didn’t know it needed Jon Hamm in a movie directed by Edgar Wright, but now that it’s happened, we want nothing else ever. In the 2017 film Baby Driver, Hamm portrays a bank-robber named Buddy. At first, Buddy is an ally of the titular Baby, but eventually he becomes the villain and we get to see him shoot a bunch of alleged cops to the rhythm of “Tequila.” While Buddy is, technically, the bad guy of the film, he’s just so damn cool you kind of can’t help but be on his side, even though you’re sort of in love with Baby too. If you’ve ever wondered if Jon Hamm could be cool without being Don Draper, look no further than Baby Driver.
2) Dr. Drew Baird – 30 Rock (2006-2013)
Remember earlier when we said that Jon Hamm is really, really ridiculously good looking? Yeah, he knows that. So does everybody else, including the creators of the hit NBC show 30 Rock. That’s why they cast Hamm as the obliviously attractive Drew Baird, a guy who is so attractive he lives in a “bubble” that we normal-looking folks will never get to experience. Hamm guest stars in several episodes of 30 Rock and he reminds everyone that yes, he can act but, mostly, he’s just really super good looking. Until he gets hook-hands.
1) Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2019)
Listen, if you have to be kidnapped and initiated into a religious cult by a fanatical leader who lies to you and tells you the apocalypse happened, you want that fanatical leader to be Jon Hamm. Such was the case with Kimmy, the titular heroine of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The show follows Kimmy after being rescued from the cult and now must adjust to a life free of religion, rules and, well, Jon Hamm. It’s actually a pretty harrowing story but, like, in a funny way. Hamm plays the aforementioned cult leader and, as per usual, he knocks it out of the park and makes what could be a detestable character into somebody that audiences actually kinda like. Rev. Richard is no Don Draper, but he sure does know how to keep a girl around.
