Tina Fey had to make an important call before casting Jon Hamm in “30 Rock.” The former star revealed in an interview that she reached out to “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels before offering Hamm the part of Dr. Drew Baird. “I didn’t meet you before you hosted [‘SNL’], and I remember calling or emailing Lorne and saying, ‘Let me know if he’s funny because we have a part coming up on ’30 Rock’ that would be great for him,'” Fey shared in a piece published on Monday.
The call was “also to make sure you weren’t a dick,” Fey added. Hamm acknowledged that “that’s a real thing” in the business. “It’s not fun to work with people that aren’t fun,” the “Bridesmaids” star said.
Fey agreed, adding that “life’s too short and the hours are too long.”
During their interview, Hamm recalled the “fun” of being offered the part in “30 Rock” and the unique way he was informed.
Tina Fey’s funny vetting process
“I remember coming back down to the host dressing room at ‘SNL,’ and the phone rang,” he said.
“I’m in 30 Rock and it’s like, whose phones are these? Does somebody have this number? Who’s calling my dressing room?”
He continued, “So I picked up and I think it was Robert Carlock on the other end who said, ‘Hey, would you like to do this?
We have a part for you,'” Hamm explained, adding that Carlock assured him the part was for “a totally normal doctor that won’t go weird at all, I promise.'” Spoiler alert: things got very weird. “The first episode you did with us, you were a normal doctor,” Fey shared. “And by the end of this arc, you have hooks for hands.”
Hamm and Fey have continued their creative partnership beyond “30 Rock.” They have collaborated on projects like “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Modern Love,” “Maggie Moore(s)” and “Mean Girls: The Musical.”
“Tina is a very confident and capable actress, she’s an amazing person,” Hamm gushed about his “Maggie Moore(s)” co-star.
“We’ve known each other for a long time now, and I think we respect each other’s talent and abilities and what we bring to the table.”
