Why Miss Jones?
From Mad Men to X-Men, January Jones has made one hell of a mark in Hollywood - and our wardrobes. She tells Lucy Broadbent about fame, motherhood and why she's still falling for Don Draper (us too, Jan!)
Simon EmmettJanuary Jones is in bed. Her voice is rasping. Her temperature is up. “I’m sorry, I’m kind of grumpy,” she warns. As interviews go, it’s not looking good. Already it’s been postponed three times. But January is not the kind of actress to let the side down. Even with a virus, she insists the show must go on – and so we are to talk down a phone line, tissues and cough medicine at the ready. “I think I picked up something at the Sundance Film Festival,” she croaks, begging forgiveness. “And now my son’s got it too.”
When Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner made his pilot for the now highly successful TV series, which is about to go into its sixth season this April, the role of Betty Draper was inconsequential. So small, there was a suggestion to simply hire a model to save costs. But then January, who had nothing but a few small acting parts to her name, auditioned – and a star bounced into life. As captivating as Grace Kelly, and vulnerable as any desperate housewife, which is the role she plays, Jones quickly became one of the icons of the show, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for best actress.
Simon Emmett“I remember the moment when I suddenly realised how big the show had become,” says the 34 year old. “I was in New York and a woman came up to me on the street and started telling
me how sorry she was that Don, my husband
in the show, was treating me so badly. She completely saw me as the character, not as me, which was really funny... if a little scary. That’s when I knew it had become so much more than just a TV show. It was a cultural phenomenon. Fashions were changing as a result of the
show. It was like the ’60s were back.”
Mad Men, a period drama about a fictional advertising agency on New York’s Madison Avenue during the ’60s, began in 2007. “I don’t think
any of us thought the show would have gone
on this long,” January continues. “When we’re working on the set, we’re kind of in a bubble,
and then when we go outside to award ceremonies or whatever, it’s always a ‘pinch-me’ moment seeing how well received the show is.”
Simon EmmettLike the rest of the Mad Men cast, January is banned from talking about the show. “To tell you the truth, we all get as excited as the audience to know what’s going to happen next. But we only
get the script the day before we start each new episode, so we don’t know anything ahead of time, and we’re still filming just now.” But she’s happy to talk about how much fun the atmosphere is on set. As a crew they’re a tight bunch and Jon Hamm, who plays the lead as Don Draper, is the joker among them. “There isn’t a lot of time for doing funny stuff,” she explains. “But Jon is definitely the prank guy – he turned up at our Christmas party this year wearing one of Betty’s sweaters.”
Like every other female fan of the show, she also seems to have fallen under the spell of Mad Men’s heart-throb. “I think initially it was the character of Don Draper that women fell in love with. He was an old-fashioned gentleman, but always with
a bit of mystery, a bit of a philanderer. Then, as the audience got to know Jon, and he started doing more comedy and other kinds of roles, they became attracted to the guy himself. And he’s
a great guy. He’s really funny and charming. How could you not fall for him?” she laughs, teasingly.
Simon EmmettJanuary is famous for keeping her own romantic life private. Recently she was in the news for breaking up with Noah Miller, the director of her new film, Sweetwater, a Western starring Ed Harris. She’s just got back from promoting the film with him at the Sundance Film Festival – an occasion that, given the break-up, can’t have been easy.
In the past she’s also dated Ashton Kutcher, Josh Groban and Jason Sudekis. Aren’t showbusiness types something of a dangerous bet then? “There was a time in my life when I said I’d never date another actor,” she sighs. “But it’s hard to meet people outside of my job. In life, you tend to date the people who are around you, people you see every day. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to date someone who does our job, because it’s so transient. You’re never in the same place for long.”
Does she have an ideal man? “I don’t really have a type. But someone who is kind is important to me. Someone who I can have a laugh with, someone to trust.”
Simon EmmettShe has never revealed who is the father of her 16-month-old son, Xander. But she’s definitely proud of being a single mum. “People keep saying, ‘Oh poor you, being a single mum,’” she says with an air of exasperation. “But I don’t want to be pitied.
I can do anything I want to do.
I work, I date, I have friends.
I have time for everything I had time for before. I just have an added amazing thing in my life. I don’t think being a single mum is something I need to feel sorry about or need to go to group therapy
over. It’s really a joy in my life and that’s it.”
She pauses and her voice softens. “I’m the sort of person who likes to juggle many things at once.
I manage my time better when I have a lot going on. So I feel good with that energy about the baby and making sure he’s on schedule. And I don’t require
a lot of support. I have a great family and friends, and I know they’d be there if I needed help, but
I feel like I’m doing it fine on my own. Being a mum is something I always wanted to do and I love it.”
Simon EmmettFitting a real-life pregnancy into the script of a highly successful TV series, however, was more of a headache for the show’s creators. In the end, January wore a fat suit to hide the pregnancy. “The storyline in season five was that Betty was emotionally eating and had gained a lot of weight,” she explains. “There was a hole in the fat suit where the baby belly went, and then after I had the baby, they filled in the hole and I still wore the fat suit, so I maintained the look through the whole season. That was great because it meant I wasn’t under any pressure to get back into shape.”
Even so, she was back at work within six weeks of giving birth – something that she’s said in the past was made easier by having her placenta dehydrated and made into vitamin capsules which she ate.
“I should never have told anyone about that,” she says. “Because it became such a thing in the press and it’s so fucking stupid that so many people cared. But it’s not gross or witchcrafty. Nor am I putting it in a shake or eating it raw. It’s a very civilised thing that can help women with depression or fatigue. I was never depressed or sad or down after the baby was born, so I’d highly suggest it to any pregnant woman.”
Simon EmmettBorn in a small town in South Dakota, January was raised with her two sisters by her mum, a sports shop manager, and her dad, a gym coach. She was named after a character from Jacqueline Susann’s book Once Is Not Enough, which her parents both loved. “I was very lucky. Whatever my dream was, my parents always encouraged it,” she says. A stint at modelling became her pass key to New York, but she didn’t enjoy it. “I have to be grateful because it took me
to New York, and I flew out to Los Angeles for acting from there. I think I always knew I wanted to act.”
Small roles followed, most notably in Anger Management and Love Actually. Mad Men was her big break and that led to a part in another Richard Curtis film, The Boat That Rocked, and a role as Emma Frost in X-Men: First Class. Both films were made in Britain – a place she adores: “I love the food, the shopping, the vibe, the energy. I always feel at home there,” she enthuses.
Simon EmmettJuggling a full-time TV series and film career leaves little spare time, but January insists she’s not a workaholic. “I love my job, but if I don’t have to work, I get very excited,” she says. “I like to be lazy and do nothing. I’m lucky because Mad Men is a steady job that affords me to be choosy in my film career. It allows me to not feel so hungry that
I have to take movie after movie. I can choose films that I’m really touched by, and if it ever becomes not fun, then I won’t do it any more.”
Quietly determined and singularly independent, January talks in a matter-of-fact kind of way. There’s a confidence about her that explains her success. The big blue eyes, petite frame and gamine features must help too. But she’s casual about her looks. She never diets or exercises. “I think I do a good
job of listening to my body,” she explains. “If I’m halfway through a meal and I feel full, I stop eating. Sometimes I crave meat, so I eat meat. I don’t over indulge, but I don’t feel like I ever deprive myself of anything. And I’ve never done much exercise
– I did a lot of pre-natal yoga while I was pregnant. I guess I need to get better about it.”
Simon EmmettDoes she worry about getting older and being able to get roles? “No matter what job you’re in, ageing is hard as a woman,” she says. “I always said I’d try to age gracefully and not give in to the temptation to make amendments. But I don’t know how I’ll feel as I get older. Being on camera, it will be difficult to refrain from making changes to try to look younger. I think you do whatever you can to feel confident, don’t you?”
January lives in Los Feliz in Los Angeles with her son. And also has
a house in New Mexico where she escapes the rat-race of Hollywood.
In both places she depicts scenes of quiet domesticity. “I don’t like going to parties, and things like that,” she explains. “I prefer to sit at home and be by myself, reading or watching TV or playing with my son. I don’t get lonely very much. Although I’m very close to my family, and I enjoy being with friends.”
Simon EmmettAmong those friends is actress Rose Byrne, who she has been friends with for many years. “Rose is a good listener, as I hope I am. And we were both so excited when we discovered we were going to be in X-Men together.” Family is also important to her. Xander is her parent’s first grandson, so they visit often. “I’m very lucky,” she begins, but a cough cuts short the sentence. Her voice begins to rasp unbearably. It seems unfair to keep her talking.
[i]Mad Men Season 6 starts on Sky Atlantic HD on Wednesday April 10 at 10pm[/i]
