Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Ellie Harrison

Jon Hamm reflects on working in the porn industry: ‘There were certainly no genitals touched’

Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Jon Hamm has reflected on his time working in the porn industry in the late Nineties.

The star – who went on to become a household name through Mad Men and films such as Bridesmaids and Baby Driver – had struggled as an unemployed actor in his twenties.

As well as being a waiter, he worked in the art department for softcore porn films.

When asked by Dana Carvey and David Spade on their Fly on the Wall podcast if he was a “fluffer” – the person on set employed to keep the male performer’s penis erect – he said: “There were certainly no genitals touched. I was in the art department, believe it or not.”

He continued: “It was softcore porn, Skinemax late night what not, we shot in these dismal, dingy places in downtown LA, these stages…

“It was some dude in a sock and a lady with patches on her whatevers.

“They’d have these ridiculous scenes, like,” – puts on a gruff voice – “’What do you mean you’re lost? Let me give you a ride…’”

Jon Hamm in ‘Mad Men’ (AMC / Everett / Rex Features)

Laughing, he added: “I got the job from a girl I went to college with. She was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore, it’s soul crushing.’ And I was like, ‘I’ll do it!’”

Hamm can next be seen in Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.