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—GW
says. ‘I love Joan’s composure
under pressure. Evenwhen
things are troubling her, she still
holds her head high and doesn’t
let anyone know that shemay
want to burst out in tears. She has
an air of self-assurance and the
sensibility that ultimately she’s
going to beOK, which keeps her
going, and I find that very
attractive about her. She won’t
allowherself to be pushed
around, and I’ve always identified
with that duringmy own life even
though sometimes I wish I could
have beenmore assertive and
stoodmy ground the way she can.
‘A lot of her appeal tome and
to audiences is that she’s someone
who isn’t afraid to get back on her
feet even after she’s been knocked
down a few times. Joan is always
going to find a way to get her life
back together and find the
happiness that tends to elude her.’
While Joan is still searching
for contentment in her personal
life, Hendricks has no such
problems. She has been happily
married since 2009 to fellow
actor Geoffrey Arend and the two
have the sort of loving,
supportive relationship the star’s
alter ego can only dreamof.
‘People shouldn’t confuseme
with Joan because I’mamuch
happier person deep down and I
laugh a lot more,’ she says. ‘I feel
as though I’ve grown closer to
Geoffrey over the last few years
and that we understand each
other better and care for each
other in a deeper andmore
beautiful way than ever. That’s
very fulfilling. We’ve also figured
out a way not to get bogged down
in stupid arguments or silly
conflicts that cause problems for
lots of couples.’
The couple were introduced to
each other in 2007 byHendricks’
MadMen
co-star Vincent
Kartheiser and the actress was
immediately smitten.
‘I’ve always been attracted to
menwho exude confidence and a
sense of purpose in life,’ she says.
‘I also think aman is much sexier
when he is able to project a very
clear impression of who he is and
can take charge of situations.
Women like to feel that aman can
protect us whenwe need that or
feel vulnerable. A bit of swagger
mixed inwith a good sense of
humour is important. A real man
should be able to be confident
and a little bit arrogant without
feeling self-important. He
shouldn’t take himself too
seriously. Intelligence and
humour are a great combination.’
The contented Christina
Hendricks we see today is a far
cry fromher teenage self. Her
father, a forestry worker, moved
his family around a lot and
Hendricks struggled to fit in as
they relocated to Tennessee,
Idaho and Virginia. Dyeing her
hair a different colour every few
weeks, she skulked around as a
‘goth punk-rock girl ’ not at all
comfortable in her own skin.
Hendricks received a
confidence boost when she was
persuaded to enter a modelling
competition to appear on the
cover of
Seventeen
magazine.
Although she didn’t win, the
images were so striking, it
prompted her to move to New
York at 19 and work as a model.
The catwalk led to London.
‘I had the chance to live in
London for a year while I was
still working as a model inmy
mid-twenties and it was one of
the best times of my life,’ recalls
the actress, who has dual
nationality through her British
father. ‘I feel I had the chance to
get to know the culture and get
in touch withmy ancestry a bit
better. London is one of my
favourite cities in the world
although I have to admit that the
weather in California is better.’
Once Hendricks returned to
the sunny surrounds of LA she
turned her attention to acting,
landing roles in
ER
and
Firefly
.
When a script for a series that
explored sexual politics in the
1960s started doing the rounds,
the actress had to decide
whether to commit to a network
(AMC) that did not have any
other big shows. Swayed by
Sopranos
scribeMatthew
Weiner’s razor-sharp writing,
she took the plunge, signed up to
MadMen
and turned Joan
Holloway into TV’s most talked
about female character.
‘Originallymy character was
not supposed to play that central
a role but Matthew obviously felt
that she had tremendous
potential and I’ve triedmy best to
give her a lot of strength and still
make her sympathetic, even
though she can be cruel,’ she says.
‘Ultimately, though, she’s simply
a womanwho’s looking out for
herself and knows what she
wants, unlike some of themen in
the office who seem lost.’
MadMen
’s monumental
success means doors have swung
open for Hendricks. The actress
has made several films, themost
impressive of which is noir crime
thriller
Drive
. The film’s director,
NicolasWinding Refn, was so
impressed withHendricks’
performance, he nowwants to
helma
WonderWoman
filmwith
Hendricks in the lead role. If that
does happen, expect thousands
of column inches devoted to how
her curves will fill out a bustier
and a pair of star-spangled shorts.
Hendricks accepts being
gawked at is a price shemust pay
for the chance to breathe life into
an iconic TV character.
‘Playing Joan has been one of
the greatest opportunities that
any actor can have,’ she says.
‘Overall, I never imagined that I
would be getting the kind of
attention that
MadMen
has given
me, so I’meternally grateful.’
C H R I S T I N A H E N D R I C K S
‘I’ve tried to give Joan a lot of strength
and still make her sympathetic, even
though she can be cruel’
Die Mad Men Frauen: kühle Schönheit
Betty, Sexsymbol Joan und die eifrige Peggy
Mad Men’s women: ice queen Betty,
sex bomb Joan and go-getter Peggy
Rex