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The upcoming action flick Sweetwater features Mad Men’s January Jones grabbing a pellet gun and skillfully shooting her suburban neighbors’ pigeons.
January said: “That is such an iconic scene. I loved being able to do that. That was my Clint Eastwood moment, well before this anyway.”
Sweetwater premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.
January plays a newlywed in the Old West taking revenge against a diabolical community preacher (Jason Isaacs).
The film is directed by identical twins Logan and Noah Miller who lured Jones to the role with an unusual plot twist — a woman forced into gun-slinging.
January said: “I took it as a huge compliment that they trusted me with a very difficult character. It’s the kind of strong character I have never even seen before.”
January, who just turned 35, shows she can handle most every variety of gun from the period in the combustive final show-down. She shows she is handy with the steel when she shoots a pistol with her left hand and right hand.
“I don’t know if people will even notice that,” says Jones. “But I am ambidextrous which I thought was pretty cool.”
It comes naturally from the Great Plains native.
“I’m comfortable with guns because I grew up with them,” she said. “I grew up in South Dakota where you are hunting for sport or food. When I was a kid a lot of times the pheasants my dad (shot) were for supper.”
The role is receiving big buzz in Sundance, and January shows she can manage the action role with her already famously cool demeanor. She hopes casting directors take notice.
“I want to be given the opportunity to do lots of different things,” she said. “It (Hollywood) can be a town where I feel people have very little imagination.”
January will be back in her familiar role as Betty Draper in season six of Mad Men, which resumes in April.
January said: “But I love going back to Betty. And Betty changes every season too. I can’t say how she’s different. But the greatest thing about Matthew’s writing is he’s constantly evolving these characters.”