Matthew Weiner
Writer/ Show Creator
About This Interview
In his Archive interview, Matthew Weiner talks about his work on such series as Becker and The Sopranos, and his creation of the series Mad Men. He discussed in detail the writer's room on Sopranos and working with David Chase, as well as pivotal episodes from the series including The Sopranos' finale. He talks in-depth about the concept behind his series Mad Men, pitching it to AMC, and the attention paid to the style of the show, set in the 1960s. He discusses casting the show, specific storylines and the concepts behind them as well as the future of the series. Matthew Weiner was interviewed in two-parts in North Hollywood, CA on October 11 and November 12, 2010; Karen Herman conducted the combined five-hour interview.
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Highlights
On becoming involved with "his mistress": the Mad Men pilot, which was largely autobiographical
Clip begins at: 42:47
Matthew Weiner on advice to aspiring writers
Clip begins at: 06:44, Duration: 02m 04s
Matthew Weiner on David Chase "I was living in his head"
Clip begins at: 17:40, Duration: 01m 20s- Matthew Weiner on the finale of The Sopranos and how it may be similar for Mad Men; on his favorite moments working on the show; on appearing on the show
Clip begins at: 36:00 - Matthew Weiner on the autobiographical nature of his characters on Mad Men
Clip begins at: 54:52, Duration: 01m 51s - Matthew Weiner on misconceptions about him
Clip begins at: 52:47, Duration: 03m 14s 
Matthew Weiner on design choices for Mad Men; on the attention to detail for the period; on how the writer's room has changed
Clip begins at: 48:03, Duration: 09m 41s- Matthew Weiner on how he defines success; coming into his own for Mad Menafter The Sopranos
Clip begins at: 27:52, Duration: 02m 43s - Matthew Weiner on fame and what he's gotten out of Mad Men's success
Clip begins at: 49:29, Duration: 03m 05s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his early childhood; on his parents' influence on Mad Men; the autobiographical nature of that show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his childhood interests in trivia, history, and television; on wanting to be a performer
Clip begins at: 14:52 - On being influenced by 70s TV shows and Woody Allen films; on the impact of visiting Dachau concentration camp and Anne Frank's house had on him; on the shows he was not allowed to watch and how his parents limited the amount of TV he could watch
Clip begins at: 25:04 - On the importance of music in his childhood and later in his scripts
Clip begins at: 34:29 - Part 2
- On being influenced by films; on applying to USC; on an internship with Bruce Glibert; on going to film school
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On graduating from USC film school; getting married; on making the decision to be a writer
Clip begins at: 17:51 - On the influence television had on him; on writing his first film; on early TV work and spec writing
Clip begins at: 24:58 - On being a writer on Becker; on working on the Mad Men pilot
Clip begins at: 40:09 - On leaving Becker and joining Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Clip begins at: 51:13 - Part 3
- On being a writer on The Sopranos at the height of its success in Season 5; on the show's creator David Chase; on the writer's room; on being an executive producer on the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On writing specific episodes of The Sopranos; Kenny and Heidi; Mayhem; The Blue Comet
Clip begins at: 29:26 - On learning the ending for The Sopranos; his favorite moments from the show
Clip begins at: 35:02 - On the legacy of The Sopranos "the greatest TV show ever"
Clip begins at: 43:20 - On how pitching Mad Men to AMC
Clip begins at: 45:52 - Part 4
- On Mad Men characters: Peggy Olsen; Joan Holloway; Betty Draper
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On Mad Men characters: Betty Draper and their children; on how he identifies with the characters
Clip begins at: 07:13 - Part 5
- On developing Mad Men; on the casting the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On how much of the characters' backstory he had in place before Mad Men got picked up
Clip begins at: 09:38 - On the controversy over the first cut of Mad Men; the style of the show; on the complexities of that episode
Clip begins at: 11:32 - On the early relationship between Mad Men and AMC; the high ratings for the show; budgetary constrictions
Clip begins at: 18:20 - On winning an Emmy for Mad Men; on the show's popularity; on how he defines success
Clip begins at: 24:50 - On the Mad Men audience; criticism of the show
Clip begins at: 30:36 - On the style and realism of Mad Men; on the costuming
Clip begins at: 38:25 - Part 6
- On the "Guy Walks into an advertising agency" episode of Mad Men; on the cardinal sin of television (a married woman having an affair)
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the emotional toll from writing emotional scenes; the process he goes through with the writers and how much he reveals about the series; how much he knows about the direction of the series in the future; on literary influences on the show
Clip begins at: 04:52 - On the Mad Men storyline with Don Draper marrying his secretary; on how much the actors know of the show's storyline; why he needs to reveal his story ideas to others
Clip begins at: 19:11 - On David Chase's take on Mad Men;
Clip begins at: 28:12 - On the "business model" for Mad Men; on differences with the network over sponsors; on the use of "fake" ads in the show
Clip begins at: 32:23 - On the merchandising of the show; on the extensive commentaries he's made about the making of the show; on what success has meant to him; on popular misconceptions about him
Clip begins at: 42:15 - Part 7
- On the future and finale of Mad Men and what he hopes to do after
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On being inspired by other show-creators with multiple successes and his feelings about television
Clip begins at: 03:38 - On advice to aspiring writers; on what he owes to AMC
Clip begins at: 06:44
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Wow... this is one of the best interviews I've ever seen, not just for Matt Weiner but in general. The interviewer is obviously very knowledgeable about the show, didn't interrupt, and had a great flow to the process. It felt very organic but at the same time had a lot of substance and originality to the content.
It would be great to see a follow up to this considering the whirlwind that was Season Five for the show and also given from what I've read that their next season will be their last.
Absolutely fantastic interview. Karen Herman was great and Matthew Weiner was so amazingly detailed in his responses.
This is a CRAZY-GOOD interview. More - more - more!
Alot of great information in this interview and not just about Mad Men.
Nice!
What a terrific interview -- kudos to Mr. Weiner for taking the time to do it and for the brilliant lady who did the interview without cutting him off.
Amazing interview!
This is the most brilliant interview I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot). Hope you'll do more parts as Mad Men continues.
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