Last Friday's snowstorm couldn't keep Jon Hamm from charming the Ugg boots off everyone he met at Sam and Sylvia Kaplan's spacious riverfront condo. The occasion, dubbed "FrankenHamm," was a fundraiser for Sen. Al Franken's re-election campaign.
Was Hamm, who effortlessly melts hearts even when playing tortured cad Don Draper on "Mad Men," as amiable and preternaturally handsome in real life as you might expect? Yep. By all accounts he patiently posed for photos with attendees who donated between $1,000 and $5,200 (more modest amounts still got you into the reception), and never stopped smiling even when cell phones had been pushed into that famously appealing mug for two hours.
"He's just terrific," said Sam Kaplan, one of the state's top DFL fundraisers and former ambassador to Morocco during President Obama's first term. "He really won our hearts when he sat on the steps to play with our dog Sonny Boy. When he finally stopped petting him, Sonny Boy lifted a paw to indicate he should continue. And he did."
Hamm, who volunteered his time, even stayed for dinner with his hosts. But affable as he was, no one could loosen his lips about the seventh and last season of "Mad Men" beginning in April. Kaplan, a self-described "addict" of the show, tried to wheedle a few hints. How many did he get? "Zero."
A rally held Monday at the University of Minnesota Duluth for U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., prompted “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm —with a hint of his famous five o'clock shadow — to share stories about his difficulties with paying for college.
Hamm was visiting Duluth for the first time as part of a group speaking in support of Franken. The senator recruited the actor last winter for help in his bid for re-election. Franken’s opponent in the Nov. 4 election is Republican Mike McFadden.
“I went to three universities in four years, and I had financial aid at all,” Hamm told a crowd of about 200 that trended college-age and upper 20s.
“It shouldn’t be that way; it really shouldn’t,” he said. “It should be easier.”
...
But Hamm got the cell phones in the air when he climbed onstage and began charming the crowd, making fun of his own hair.The city is “stunning,” he said, and he referenced views of Lake Superior and coffee he enjoyed at Dunn Bros. But he grew serious, noting he also worked 20 hours a week at a day care while going to college full time.
“It wasn’t that long ago I was dealing with the stuff you guys are dealing with,” Hamm said, imploring the group to “show up” on Election Day, and ending with “go Bulldogs.”
“It’s really awesome to have a public figure or an actor to come out having been in the same situation as everyday people,” said the 30-year-old, who has gone back to school after having a family. “All of us have so much debt. I have 10 years of debt.”
Duluthian Kelsey Keegan graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., last spring. She’s a supporter of Franken and his work —especially the loan refinancing bill — and seeing Hamm was a bonus, she said.
“Seeing him was inspirational,” she said. “Talking about politics, you get down. His message was powerful.”
As for Samiha Dib, a part-time UMD student who was there to hear Franken speak about women’s issues and college finance, Hamm’s identity was a mystery.
“But he was a joy to listen to,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment