Elisabeth Moss Recalls the Mad Men Moment That Brought Her to Real Tears

Mad Men star Jon Hamm brought his co-star Elisabeth Moss to tears… but it’s for a good reason.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, former Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss explained why one pivotal scene with Hamm was an emotional one.

“It all felt very real,” she explained. “I had a very close relationship with Jon. There was sort of like a mentor/protégé relationship there, very older brother, little sister. And so it meant something to the both of us when we did this scene.”

Mad Men starred Moss as Peggy Olsen – a new copywriter at Sterling Cooper who’s quickly taken under the wing of the legendary Don Draper (Hamm).

Unfortunately, Peggy eventually parted ways with the company in Season 5 Episode 11 and gave a rather emotional farewell to her then-former boss.

Peggy tears up as Draper kisses her hand after shaking it… and that touching moment was all improvised.

“That right there is real,” she explained. “That’s actually real tears, which you know, hate to break it to you, but often we’re faking it. He held onto my hand and didn’t let go and then kissed it. None of that was in the script and he did it on my close-up. Like, that right there is the real Jon.”

The relationship between Don and Peggy was pivotal to the show, and also to Moss, who asked AMC if she could keep the dress she wore during this scene.

“The only costume I have from Mad Men from all seven seasons, 90-something episodes, they asked me what costume I wanted to keep, and I said I wanted to keep that one because of that scene,” she said. “I don’t think it fits me anymore, but I have it.”

Of course, Peggy eventually returned – having left SDCP for a new role at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, the two firms eventually merged during Season 6… and Peggy found herself working alongside Draper once more.

Want to read more about Mad Men? Check out how Mad Men made us think more than any other TV show as well as the show’s lasting effect on Christina Hendricks.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.