Jon Hamm auditioned to play Sandy Cohen on The O.C.
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Ben McKenzie Looks Back on Making ‘The O.C.’ and Reflects on Mischa Barton’s Exit
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Our favorite public defender could've looked very different.
During an interview on Rolling Stone's new podcast Too Long; Didn't Watch, Jon Hamm revealed that he once auditioned to play The O.C.'s Sandy Cohen. "I was probably 31 or 32," Hamm told Rolling Stone. "I think it was me and Harry Hamlin [auditioning]."
Although The O.C. poked fun at itself for how old its teenage actors were — Ben McKenzie was 25 when the show launched — Hamm was just a little too old to play one of the core four. But he also wasn't old enough to be Seth's father. (Adam Brody who played Seth Cohen is just 8 years younger than Hamm.)
Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images; Warner Bros.
"I never looked young enough to be in high school, even when I first got out [to L.A.] and I was 25, so I missed out on all of the Dawson's Creek and all the early WB shows," Hamm said during the podcast. "So then they were like, 'Come play one of the dads,' but I wasn't old enough to be that, either. I had to wait around a long time."
Of course, the role of Sandy Cohen landed in Peter Gallagher's very capable hands. As Hamm put it, "I remember walking in and going, 'Is that Peter Gallagher? Why am I here?' I love Peter Gallagher, but I was just like, 'Dang!'"
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