Jon Hamm Opens Up About His Time in Rehab and His Thoughts on Becoming a Dad One Day

Actor sits down with The Look

By Kendall Fisher Oct 13, 2016 12:00 PMTags
Jon Hamm, The LookTomo Brejc / The Look

Jon Hamm isn't afraid to admit he's flawed, but he also isn't afraid to admit that he's put in the work to help fix those flaws.

The 45-year-old actor sat down with Mr. Porter's The Journal and opened up about his private life, which he's tried to keep under wraps and succeeded for the most part—except for making headlines after going to rehab in 2015 for alcoholism.

While many may shy away from talking about such an experience, Hamm is more than open to do so. "It has all these connotations, but it's just an extended period of talking about yourself," he told the publication. "People go for all sorts of reasons, not all of which are chemically related. But there's something to be said for pulling yourself out of the grind for a period of time and concentrating on recalibrating the system. And it works. It's great."

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He feels the same way about therapy. "I find it very helpful," he explained, always one to fine the humor in a situation. "I know the English are a lot more sceptical about it than Americans are, but maybe after Brexit, you'll change your minds."

Hamm said his father's death in the early '90s is what initially persuaded him to seek therapy. "After I'd lost my dad, I had this horrible paralysing inertia – and no one in my family was capable of dealing with it," he said. "So what do you do? Go and see a professional. I preach it from the mountaintops. I know it's a luxury and it's not something everyone can afford. But if you can, do it. It's like a mental gym."

Tomo Brejc / The Look

However, one thing Hamm won't touch on publicly is his love life and relationships.

He split from his partner of 18 years, Jennifer Westfeldt, in 2015, and he still prefers to keep the situation as private as possible. "It's very personal and specific and I think people tend to draw their own conclusions about that anyway," he explained.

But despite finding himself single in his mid-forties, Hamm doesn't totally negate the idea of having a family one day...but he doesn't necessarily believe it will happen, either.

"I don't know. I don't think it's necessarily an imperative. I'm not going to psychoanalyse myself here, but… well, never say never. I've got nieces and nephews and I've been a teacher. I've probably been around kids a lot more than all my friends. I feel if you shut that off entirely you calcify. You turn into that guy."

You can read his full interview with The Journal here.