On how her improv teacher in high school was actor Jon Hamm, who plays the cult leader on Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtHe taught improv and I feel sorry for him because I talk about him all the time. He's probably like, "Stop mentioning my name!" No, he would never say that because he's the kindest man that there is. He attended my school, my high school, John Burroughs, and then went to college and came back after college and taught theater at our high school for a year, so I was a freshman taking a ninth grade ... Introduction to Theater course, and he taught the improv portion of that class. ...
He is a great person. Everyone in St. Louis adores him, and I've called him the Prince of St. Louis, and rightfully so, and everyone there wants to claim responsibility and ownership of him. ...
It was so crazy once we started seeing his face on buses and billboards as Don Draper [in Mad Men], which was just like, "Wait a minute, that's Mr. Hamm? He's this arresting matinee idol." ... It was so cool to see that. By the way, I have to tell you, that I came out to Los Angeles to put on this one-person show I had been staging, trying to get an agent and a job, and I was in Los Angeles doing it and this was, like, the first season that he was on Mad Men, and I emailed him just to see if he might remember me and if he would come support me at my show, and he wrote right back and he was front row in that show, wearing his St. Louis Blues hat. ... I will say, he sort of stole the spotlight a little bit, everyone was like, "Jon Hamm is here," but that was fine with me
http://www.npr.org/2016/06/20/482484199/for-ellie-kemper-kimmy-Schmidt
He is a great person. Everyone in St. Louis adores him, and I've called him the Prince of St. Louis, and rightfully so, and everyone there wants to claim responsibility and ownership of him. ...
It was so crazy once we started seeing his face on buses and billboards as Don Draper [in Mad Men], which was just like, "Wait a minute, that's Mr. Hamm? He's this arresting matinee idol." ... It was so cool to see that. By the way, I have to tell you, that I came out to Los Angeles to put on this one-person show I had been staging, trying to get an agent and a job, and I was in Los Angeles doing it and this was, like, the first season that he was on Mad Men, and I emailed him just to see if he might remember me and if he would come support me at my show, and he wrote right back and he was front row in that show, wearing his St. Louis Blues hat. ... I will say, he sort of stole the spotlight a little bit, everyone was like, "Jon Hamm is here," but that was fine with me
http://www.npr.org/2016/06/20/482484199/for-ellie-kemper-kimmy-Schmidt
I hear he taught your acting class in the ninth grade.
Is that incredible? He’s a fellow St. Louisan, and he went to my high school and came back after college to teach theater for a year. It was a hoot because he was young and cool, and he was also a very good teacher.
Was it weird playing a sister wife to a handsome man who knew you as a kid?
Jon Hamm, first and foremost, is a prince among men. He remains as modest, kind and unassuming now as he was at age 24. Having said all of this: Excuse me, who doesn’t have a crush on Jon Hamm?
Ellie Kemper: No, and I remember being bummed out by that. We’re never in a scene together
So last season was the first time you had worked with him.
Ellie Kemper: Correct.
What was that like, given your history with him?
Ellie Kemper: I think of that as maybe the best part of the season for me because he is a good person. He has been so supportive. He taught me high school when I was in ninth grade, because he went to my high school also. He has been so supportive of all alumni from our school. Like, I came out to LA and I was doing this one-person show, and I emailed him — I think this was like the first season of Mad Men — and said, “Hey, if you’re free, do you want to come out? I’m not sure anyone’s going to come to this show.” He was there front and center in his St. Louis Blues hat. He’s so avuncular. He’s like an uncle or a big brother to all these people who come from (John Burroughs School) to try to pursue acting. He’s friends with Tina and Robert and was so funny on 30 Rock, and then being in a scene with him was actually very emotional for me. I don’t know why, because it’s not like I was in school with him. That scene where he’s testing me and telling me to go out into the apocalypse, is heavy, and I felt very, I don’t know, it was just emotional for me for some reason, because it just reminded me of childhood and everything, and it was powerful. But it was such a thrill to be able to act with him. I flubbed my first line, of course, with him. I was really ready to show off. Like, “See? Like, you taught me and now I do…” And then the first line, everything…well, he’s very handsome so it’s hard to concentrate.
forget: do you and Hamm have a scene with each other in Bridesmaids?
Ellie Kemper: No, and I remember being bummed out by that. We’re never in a scene together.
forget : He's really disgustingly handsome.
Ellie Kemper: Disgustingly handsome and so easy to be a little flustered, I think, for men and women alike, by the way.
forget : Did Tina and Robert know that you had this relationship with him, or was he in it entirely because of their relationship with him?
Ellie Kemper: No, I think that they did know that, and I feel for some reason, during an earlier conversation, before maybe even started filming, I think that they were aware of that relationship. But I think it’s because he’s so funny in the show
It’s my last day of press tour. I don’t even know anything anymore.
Ellie Kemper: I know! You guys must be exhausted. What is it…17 days?
Something like that. Your name is?
Ellie Kemper: It’s Ellie. Ellie Hamm.http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-star-ellie-kemper-on-jon-hamm
During a panel discussion for her Netflix show “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” the “Office” star revealed that the “Mad Men” hunk was her drama teacher in high school.
Kemper proclaimed, “He was not ugly. He was a wonderful teacher. I was in ninth grade and he taught me the improve section of my theater class, and everyone loved him.” Years later, Ellie was reunited with Jon when he scored a role on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”-"When they told us that he would be playing the reverend, it was fantastic. But I was a little scared. I think there's still a teacher-student dynamic, and acting with him was a little bit nerve-wracking just because I felt like he was still grading me on some level. But he's a wonderful man and it was a lot of fun." 
The saving grace of the interview is Garry Shandling. He was the lead guest, and throughout my segment, he chimes in and tries to help. At the time, I worried that he was making fun of me. But it’s now clear to me that he’s just trying to make the segment entertaining. At one point, seemingly 73 hours into my story of giving Jon Hamm a hug at an awards show and getting makeup on his tuxedo, Garry compares that smeared tux to the Shroud of Turin. Neither Jay nor I react. “That was an excellent reference,” Garry mutters to himself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/arts/television/the-first-time-ellie-kemper
That’s just so Kimmy Schmidt of her. Kemper could have even pinned blame on her acting teacher at the time, Jon Hamm — yes, the Mad Men stud.
“Yes, I do blame him,” she cracks. “I always go vent to him.”But good things happen to good people — particularly those without ’tude.
......
And who did Fey have in mind to play the loony cult leader? Why, Kemper’s former acting teacher, Hamm.
“That was just so surreal,” Kemper recalls. “In the moment when (Hamm’s character “That was just so surreal,” Kemper recalls. “In the moment when (Hamm’s character) is threatening me about leaving the bunker, I genuinely felt so scared, because he was my teacher and he is an authority figure. I was just freaking out. It was the greatest coincidence that he would come on that show and do the role of the cult-leader reverend. It was like everything had come full circle.”http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/celebrity/just-for-laughs-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidts-
Do you feel pressure to be a St. Louis booster?
- I don’t feel pressure, because I naturally am very proud of my St. Louis heritage. There are a bunch of St. Louisans in Los Angeles working in show business. Certainly on The Office, there were a bunch of actors—Jenna Fischer, Phyllis Smith—who are from St. Louis. Jon Hamm is an unabashed cheerleader for St. Louis. He does so much for our old high school. He’s such a sports fan.
What did Hamm teach you?
- He taught the improv portion of my class. He laid out the basic tenets of improvisation comedy, which might be kind of boring, but just saying “yes and,” and agreeing with your scene partner and upping the stakes. He’s a good man.
Which of you is a bigger deal at Burroughs?
- There is no argument that the bigger deal is Jon Hamm. I think if you hold him up to anyone, he would win that contest. He’s like St. Louis’ son. We produced this man, or something, for the rest of the world to enjoy.
https://www.stlmag.com/arts/q&a:-a-conversation-with-ellie-kemper/And, to the delight of pop culture trivia geeks everywhere, her ninth grade drama teacher was none other than Jon Hamm. “He was very serious about teaching, I remember that,” she says. “And also, it wasn’t like Don Draper was teaching you, because Don Draper didn’t exist yet. So it was easy to pay attention to what he was saying.”
http://bust.com/tv/14031-ellie-kemper-on-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-lady
Teacher turned co-star: Jon Hamm, who plays Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne on the show, was Ellie Kemper’s high school drama teacher.
“I was in ninth grade and he taught me the improv section of my theatre class, and everyone loved him,” Kemper said, according to People magazine.“When they told us that he would be playing the reverend, it was fantastic. But I was a little scared. I think there’s still a teacher-student dynamic, and acting with him was a little bit nerve-racking just because I felt like he was still grading me on some level.”
AVC: What pearls of wisdom did you glean from having Jon Hamm as a high-school acting teacher?
EK: Hmm… I don’t know about you, but I have trouble remembering my childhood for some reason. Maybe that explains a lot, actually.
AVC: Wow.
EK: [Laughs.] I don’t remember specifically what he said. Here’s the thing I do remember: He was, like, are you kidding me? In a room full of freshmen girls—he was definitely just as handsome back then, and having this grown, tall man teach you theater, it was like having a hunk in the class. So basically what I remember is that he was really handsome. [Laughs.]
AVC: You don’t remember his methods and his acting techniques?
EK: Apparently not. I saw him at the SAG Awards, and I didn’t want to embarrass him, but he walked in at the exact same time I did. So I gave him a hug, and then I got makeup all over his suit. I was like, “Now I’ve done it.”
http://www.avclub.com/article/ellie-kemper-40258
In a room full of freshmen girls — he was definitely just as handsome back then, and having this grown, tall man teach you theater, it was like having a hunk in the class,"
Though Kemper says she didn't want to embarrass Hamm when she saw him at the SAG Awards, she found herself in a bit of an awkward situation anyway. "He walked in at the exact same time I did. So I gave him a hug, and then I got makeup all over his suit," she says. "I was like, 'Now I've done it.'"The Mad Men heartthrob, who attended Kemper's St. Louis high school 10 years ahead of the comedic actress, taught there when she was a freshman, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Kemper also recalled the reaction years later when her former teacher came to a performance of her one-woman show, Feeling Sad/Mad with Ellie Kemper.
"Everyone was all ga-ga over him," she told the paper.
Hamm about Kemper
people who would have been toiling away in a writer’s room for 20 years trying to get their shot to get their pilot on the air, somehow, are now getting deals." "Beau Willimon, who was one of my students when I was a teacher in St. Louis, MO, is now running a show. A great show! Holy shit! He played Hamlet in ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’! Again, he was very talented as a 17-year-old. Ellie Kemper, same thing. She was a talented 15 year-old and now I’m in her show! It’s bananas, but it’s wonderful, too.
http://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/jon-hamm-on-ending-mad-men-the-challenges-of-playing
The show is a bit of a full-circle moment for Hamm and Kemper. Back in 1993, after graduating with a degree in English from the University of Missouri, Hamm returned home to teach an eighth-grade acting class at his former high school, the private John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri. Two of the students in his class were Kemper and Beau Willimon, who now serves as showrunner for the Netflix series House of Cards.
Now Hamm is starring in a Netflix series as Kemper’s Svengali-nemesis.
“Ellie, my former student!” said a beaming Hamm. “Honestly, it’s really great. I wish I could have said when I was 24 that I knew that girl—or Beau—would be famous. It wasn’t that specific, but in a school full of highly motivated and very high achievers, they were standouts. They just were. Ellie, for a young kid, was incredibly forthright and very confident, and Beau was wildly intelligent and creative. I thought, ‘I hope they do it and go,’ and they did. And it’s amazing.”
He paused. “I remember walking the red carpet at the Emmys and seeing Ellie there and going, ‘You’re here, too! This is so great.’”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/23/jon-hamm-on-his-unbreakable-kimmy-Schmidt
Ellie Kemper is totally jealous of Jon Hamm's St. Louis Cardinals bobblehead.
"He's like the prince of St. Louis," Kemper told Seth Meyers during an appearance on his late-night talk show last week. "Everyone just adores him there."
...Meyers says he's seen St. Louis' love for Hamm in person. While Meyers was riding in a cab in the Lou, the cab driver told him he grew up with Hamm. Meyers texted Hamm, expecting for the TV and film star to balk; turns out, Hamm totally knew the driver and asked Meyers to say hello for him."He's the king of St. Louis," Meyers said.
That's just how Hamm is, Kemper says. "Everyone [in St. Louis] claims ownership of him, but then he does know everyone," she explained to Meyers.
"He's so kind," Kemper says of Hamm. "He's like an uncle to all of these people from our high school who go out to LA to and try to pursue acting."
Hamm even attended Kemper's one-woman show when she first moved to LA. She admits that Hamm, who was already starring on Mad Men, had the audience buzzing.
"He stole the show," she says.
The saving grace of the interview is Garry Shandling. He was the lead guest, and throughout my segment, he chimes in and tries to help. At the time, I worried that he was making fun of me. But it’s now clear to me that he’s just trying to make the segment entertaining. At one point, seemingly 73 hours into my story of giving Jon Hamm a hug at an awards show and getting makeup on his tuxedo, Garry compares that smeared tux to the Shroud of Turin. Neither Jay nor I react. “That was an excellent reference,” Garry mutters to himself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/arts/television/the-first-time-ellie-kemper
Tell me about learning improv from Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm went to the same high school as I did and he came back and taught the improv portion of my ninth grade acting class for a year. He was the first person to introduce this notion of "yes, and." Now I sound like an improv dork, but it's like the very crux of improv. You take what your scene partner gives you and you never deny or negate it. It's a simple but profound concept because it's how you navigate life. It's such a handy tool.
Jon Hamm, who was in Bridesmaids and Kimmy Schmidt with you, was a teacher when you went there.
Jon taught the improv section of my theater class when I was in ninth grade. He has a gift for teaching. On top of that, he’s not too shabby an actor. I know I’m biased, but I think St. Louis turns out good people.
Speaking of, if you could create, hypothetically, a St. Louis–set TV show or movie, which other St. Louis favorites are you tapping to star, and what’s the plot?
Maybe a group of siblings coming home for a happy event—a wedding. Jon Hamm, John Goodman, and Sarah Clarke are all starring. Beyond that, I can’t say. I don’t want to give all my amazing ideas away!
I want to talk about the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt...What was your favorite part of filming it ?
....It’s one of those nice moments where you don’t feel like you’re working, you’re just hanging out with friends. I think Jon Hamm was maybe on set for two days. He was filming a movie in Atlanta so we only had him for two days. I loved every minute of it. He’s from St. Louis as well and he actually taught me theater when I was 14. It’s crazy. He went to my high school that I attended, he went to college and then came back and taught theater for a year at this high school, John Burroughs. I was a freshman and he was teaching a theater class and I got to take the class with him. He was a great teacher. He actually taught my first improv class. I have known him for a while, but it feels so special that I get to be in this show with him. I can never see him without thinking Don Draper. It messes with your head. The cast and crew of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt are a really lovely bunch. I hope that we get to make more. I really enjoy them. I’ll put it out there into the universe. Maybe it will happen.
You recently collaborated with Ellie Kemper in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She was your drama student back in St. Louis in the early 1990s— before you had made it yourself. How did you get that gig ?
Well, I went back to my high school to teach because I felt that the school’s teachers had given so much to me, but there was no way for me to endow a scholarship or anything. I was a broke college graduate. But I very much wanted to be some version of the inspiration that my teachers had provided me. And I feel like I did that, in a certain way—not because Ellie became a famous actress or what have you. The school asked me to come back for the following year. But I thought, well, if I don’t try this once, I’ll probably regret it, so I turned down the offer and I drove out to L.A.
https://www.mensjournal.com/features/jon-hamm-on-mad-men-mental-health-and-filming-top-gun-maverick/
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