Christina Hendricks has played Joan Holloway, the sexy, saucy office manager at '60-set ad agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce on "Mad Men" for four seasons. When we left her in the Season 4 finale (i.e. forever ago), Joan had married a doctor and became a homemaker, even though she found herself pregnant with her former boss' (Roger Sterling played John Slattery) child.
Hendricks covers the upcoming issue of BlackBook and talked to the magazine about the upcoming, long-awaited Season 5 of "Mad Men" (which premieres with a two-hour episode on Mar. 25). "Last year was building up to what was going to happen with Don and Betty, and although there's that, so much happens with each character this season that we were all like, 'Whoa,'" Hendricks told BlackBook. "All I can say is a lot happens to Joan."
The actors are typically tight-lipped about what's to come on "Mad Men," but Hendricks did talk about the parallels in Joan's life and Hendricks' in the five years she's been on the show. "Just as I have changed, and as significant things have happened in my life, like getting married and moving into a new home, Joan has gotten married and gotten pregnant," Hendricks explained. The changes have softened the brassy character, who, Hendricks adds, "was a lot bitchier than she is now. She's mellowed out and wised up. With the more responsibility that she's gotten at work and in her life, she can't be as flip as she was. There's a lot more on her shoulders these days."
Hendricks' co-star John Slattery told HuffPost TV in late January that "Mad Men's" season 5 is "the best yet." He added: "We were all commenting that it felt like the first season. We've somehow circled back after all the details and all the plot development that's happened with everybody ... it's kind of circled back to the sort of tunnel vision on each character and various elements of each character that they've dialed in on. It's somehow simpler."
And fellow "Mad Men" star Elisabeth Moss added: "Matt [Weiner] said... this season is about every man for himself. I just thought that was so interesting ... I'd never heard him say it before, but I think that is the most perfect way of describing this season. And I think that's the parallel to Season 1 as well."
Read BlackBook's complete interview with Christina Hendricks and see stunning new photos at Blackbookmag.com.
Also, check out the slideshow below of the "Mad Men" cast sharing their favorite episodes with HuffPost TV:
