Christina Hendricks has spoken about how playing the role of Joan in Mad Men has given her more confidence – and admitted that as a teenager she was a high school goth.
Fans of the smash hit TV show are familiar with the curveacous actress and her style, which has made her a fashion icon and Christina says she’s pleased Joan’s sass is contagious.
Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, her mother, a psychologist and her British father, whose job working for the US Forest Service meant they moved often – and she embraced goth culture as a way of experimenting with fashion – before breaking into acting.
Christina said: “The amazing thing about Joan is how confident she is. I was never that confident.
“When we shot the pilot I was like, Who is this woman? I’m not friends with people like that.
“She’s living in the ’60s, but she uses sexual innuendo, which is taboo. Because of that and a very tight green dress, she became a sexual character.
“She was very openly saying, I have sex, and I don’t care if you judge me. I’m not going to apologize for who I am. Those qualities resonated with people, and have given me confidence.
“In high school it was a different story, I had these looks. Sometimes they were very tragic. I wore a pair of green, silk, MC Hammer–style pants with the low crotch, Birkenstocks, and my hair in a turban.
“What that look was, I don’t know, but it was kind of amazing. I wasn’t one of those sloppy, dirty goths.
“I thought it was very beautiful and I went out of my way to do it right, in a very high-fashion kind of way.”
Christina Hendricks photos taken by Blackbook.
Mad Men Season 5 continues tonight