“It was meant to be me,” the actor said on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” about the 2014 thriller’s lead role
Jon Hamm had to drop out of Gone Girl before it was a Dunne deal.
In an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen last week alongside Mad Men costar John Slattery, the actor, 52, revealed that he was almost the subject of Rosamund Pike’s iconic “cool girl” monologue, not Ben Affleck.
During a segment in which guests answer questions via video chat, two fans asked Hamm to confirm whether he was meant to star as leading man Nick Dunne in the 2014 thriller adapted from Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name — and Hamm revealed that he was.
“Yeah,” he said, finally confirming PageSix’s 2015 report about his almost-role in the David Fincher-directed mystery. “I was down to the very end of that.”
“It was meant to be me, but we had to film the continuing adventures of Mr. Draper,” the actor said, referring to his Mad Men character, ad executive Don Draper.
Instead of stepping into Dunne’s shoes, the actor continued filming Mad Men, a decision that ultimately earned him an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series during the seventh and final season of the show, which aired from 2007 to 2015.
Hamm also told Slattery and Cohen that the filmmakers were especially “excited” at the prospect of having him on board since he and Dunne both hail from St. Louis.
The actor also poked a bit of fun at Boston-born Affleck, 50, for having to wear a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the film. “Poor Ben,” he told the WWHL audience. “He was not very happy about it.”
Hardcore Boston Red Sox fan Affleck actually stalled production on the psychological thriller for several days when Fincher asked him to wear a New York Yankees hat in a scene.
“I said, ‘David, I love you, I would do anything for you,’ ” Affleck said in a 2014 interview with The New York Times. “‘But I will not wear a Yankees hat. I just can’t. I can’t wear it because it’s going to become a thing, David. I will never hear the end of it. I can’t do it.’ “
“I couldn’t put it on my head,” Affleck admitted.