Kiernan Shipka Recalls the ‘Mad Men’ Cast and Crew Trying to Protect Her “Innocence” as a Child Star

Kiernan Shipka Recalls the ‘Mad Men’ Cast and Crew Trying to Protect Her “Innocence” as a Child Star

As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours immersed in the virtual world, I can’t help but draw parallels between Kiernan Shipka‘s journey as Sally Draper on Mad Men and my own adventures in gaming. Just like her, I’ve navigated through complex narratives, often understanding more than my character lets on, all while maintaining an air of innocence that belies the depth of my comprehension.


As a young actor on “Mad Men”, Kiernan Shipka acknowledges that the production team attempted to safeguard her from mature themes. However, she confesses that she had a vague comprehension of the show’s content during those times.

The actress recently appeared on the Dinner’s On Me podcast, where she looked back at starring in the hit series as Sally Draper at just six years old. However, she told host Jesse Tyler Ferguson that she actually remembers nearly everything from her time on Mad Men, which ran for seven seasons.

Shipka expressed that the first day of her audition seemed vividly etched in her memory, as if her body and mind had automatically recalled it. She’s thankful for this recollection, although she acknowledges there might be days that she can’t remember clearly, but this instance seems to encapsulate everything.

Despite the fact that her onscreen parents Don and Betty Draper (portrayed by Jon Hamm and January Jones) didn’t provide a good role model for their young character, Ferguson remembered Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner stating that Shipka’s character “was privy to everything, but Kiernan herself saw little of it.

Shipka recalled one instance where it seemed like Jon was focused on his Words with Friends game instead of the actual scene we were filming, serving as a distraction for her character,” she explained, noting that she always had a clear understanding of the context for her performances.

She mentioned they were incredibly careful with her and my youthful naivety, shielding us from mature or sensitive topics. I was always aware of what I was encountering, and even when I stumbled upon something, I didn’t have to repeatedly witness it.

The actress from “Sweethearts” went on to say, “At some stage, I felt, ‘Folks, I get this. I’m okay.’ Yet, I truly appreciate and value their approach. However, deep down, I might have thought, ‘I’m grown-up. I’m a mature adult. I understand the situation here. It’s all good, folks.’

In the podcast, Shipka revealed that she was generally prohibited from viewing most of the Mad Men episodes when she was younger, except for season premieres. However, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, just before her 21st birthday, that she managed to watch the entire series – a moment she described as incredibly enlightening.

The actor from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shared: “I observed [Sally] dealing with things during filming, and at the time, it felt very authentic. However, as an adult now, I can analyze and realize she was expressing grief and acting out. At that moment, I think I understood her feelings as much as she did herself. As I grow older, I understand her more, just like I hope she would one day with therapy. It’s fascinating to see this because it wasn’t that I didn’t recognize the situation, but I didn’t understand it in the same way we don’t understand ourselves until later as well.

The award-winning television show revolves around a highly esteemed advertising agency in New York City during the early 1960s, featuring its most enigmatic yet exceptionally gifted executive, Don Draper.

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2024-11-13 05:55