Interview: Kiernan Shipka Talks 'Mad Men'

he last season of AMC's critically acclaimed 'Mad Men' was full of shocking revelations, wild twists and flat-out amazing performances. Perhaps the most stunning was Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper, the eldest child of the unhappy Don and Betty Draper played by Jon Hamm & January Jones.

Sally had a lot to deal with this past year. The death of her grandfather Gene, the JFK assassination, and the separation of her parents have given the character much more to do and Kiernan grabbed hold of it and gave us some of the most heartbreaking moments of the season. Growing up on television can't be easy but the very mature 10-year old Kiernan seems to be handling success quite well. She has a new film coming out in July called Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore with Chris O'Donnell, 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and Roger Moore and with the voices of Alec Baldwin and Bette Midler and is excited about the upcoming season of 'Mad Men'.

I had the chance to interview Kiernan and I found out that she is a wonderful and well-spoken young lady who talks all things 'Mad Men', her new film and who she met at this years SAG awards. Hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed interviewing her!

JANAKI CEDANNA: I want to first congratulate you on cleaning up this award season; the Golden Globes, the SAG awards, the Producers Guild awards, that must have been amazing.

KIERNAN SHIPKA: Yes, it felt very amazing. I'm very fortunate to work on a show that's so recognized.

JC: I saw you up onstage and Christina Hendricks was giving you a shoulder pinch. It must have been pretty exciting for you. Was there anybody at the SAG awards that you wanted to meet?

KS: (giggles) It was very exciting for me! I got a chance to meet so many wonderful people and it was all just really special. I met Warren Beatty, I loved him in “Heaven Can Wait” and “Bonnie and Clyde”. I watch it on AMC all the time. Tina Fey, I love her! She’s so hilarious on“30 Rock” and she had one of the most memorable and funniest acceptance speeches a couple of years back. She named all the nasty bloggers by their handle names, it was quite hysterical. Sigourney Weaver of course, I loved her in “Ghostbusters” 1 & 2 and “Avatar”, she was great. Jane Lynch from “Glee”. I mean, I love her! I’m very hooked on the show right now and she is definitely my favorite character.

JC: How was it different from last year? You’re a year older.

KS: It was a little different from last year . . . I was older and I knew what to expect basically. I had more fun, was more relaxed and more confident.

JC: Last season you really established yourself as a character and a wonderful actress. How do you prepare for those dramatic moments?

KS: I try to get in the moment. I try to get as method as possible on set. I think the whole set, the hair, the make-up, the wardrobe really helps also.

JC: Your character Sally went through a really tough time last year like the death of grandpa Gene, the JFK assassination and your parents separation. What kind of effect do you think that’s having on her?

KS: I think Sally has gone through a really tough time this season and like you said, she’s had so many dramatic moments and it’s been quite a year for her.

JC: We already started to see her act out a little bit. Do you think there’s going to be a lot more acting out?

KS: I think so. I think next season will be really good for her. She’s gonna go through a lot.

Click Here to Read the Rest of the Interview at Mad Men Fodder!

-- Janaki Cedanna