'Mad Men' Q&A: Kiernan Shipka on Sally's Embarrassing Parents, Glen's Return, and Growing Up on Set
She’s back! After a two-episode absence, our favorite TV teen Sally Draper reappeared with a vengeance on this week’s Mad Men. She clashed with both of her parents as she prepared for a 12-state road trip: Betty, for flirting with their former neighbor Glen (who had a creepy fixation on Betty as a boy), and Don, for paying too much attention to Sally’s 17-year-old friend. Stop being so sexy, Mom and Dad!
We got on the phone with 15-year-old Kiernan Shipka (who’s played Sally since age 7!) to talk about Sally’s latest parental struggles, how she really feels about Glen, and the good qualities she’s managed to take from Don and Betty. Plus, Shipka reflects on how much she’s learned from spending her formative years on the set of an all-time great TV drama.
We saw Sally lash out at both Don and Betty this week, but we’ve seen her bond with them recently, too. So what’s the status of her relationship with her parents now?
Well, Sally is very frustrated with both her parents. I think she’s gone through a lot of ups and downs with both of them. And this episode really combined her being frustrated with both of them, which is something we never see. Usually, it’s “Sally’s mad at Betty,” or “Sally’s mad at Don.” [Laughs.] And when she’s mad at one parent, the other one seems good. But at this point, she’s just totally frustrated. Total mistrust. Really, as she’s growing older, she’s seeing her parents as the people they are — which is not perfect.
We didn’t expect to see Glen again! Do you think Sally has actual feelings for him, or was she just mortified to see her mom flirting with him?
Yeah, I just think Sally and Glen are such good friends, so to see Betty act that way towards him was obviously very weird. Sally and Glen, I’ve always seen as just friends. They’re there for each other, especially when Sally needed Glen. He had come from divorced parents, and he kind of showed her the ropes of that. There’s always been this great trust that Sally’s had with Glen. So when that also fell down a bit, it was just like, “Who is good in this world?” [Laughs.]
Later on, Don made things worse by flirting with Sally’s friend at dinner. Do you think Sally was extra sensitive after what happened with Glen?
I think it was a combination of Sally being really mad at her mother and Glen… and then, was Don flirting back? I think he was giving this girl attention, and talking to her. So I think it was that combination of even seeing that interaction happen, and Don not getting up and leaving, basically. I think at any magnitude, Sally would have been frustrated.
It seems like Sally never forgave Don for that time she walked in on him and Sylvia Rosen. But Don and Sally did have that nice moment of reconciliation at the roadside diner earlier this season.
I definitely think that after that moment they had, where Sally lost all trust in Don and felt super betrayed, they did reach a good point of understanding. It was almost like, in the long run, you could see positive aspects: Sally now being able to talk to her father like a person. They reached this point that they had never reached before, and we saw them have some great conversations. And with anything, there’s ups and downs, and I think this is just a real “down” kind of moment.
She ends up saying she wants “to be a different person” than both of her parents. But running away for a difficult past is exactly what Don did, and we’ve seen Sally exhibit some very Betty-like tendencies, too. Can she really escape the influence of her parents?
I think Sally tries to think that she’s not like her parents — but in moments, she’s reminded that she is. Because she was raised by them, and in many ways, people are products of their environment. But I think she also doesn’t want to be like them so much that there is definitely a possibility of her becoming an amazing person. Which I really do think she is. I think she’s an amazing character. She’s awesome, she’s independent, she’s super smart and savvy and perceptive. She’s perceptive, I think, a lot like her father is.
Related: ‘Mad Men’ Q&A: Aaron Staton on Ken’s Revenge, Being in ‘Full Pirate Mode,’ and the Last Days on Set
Sally tells Don she doesn’t really have anything in mind for a career yet — but do you think there is some career ambition lurking inside her?
I just think she’s so smart; I could see her being someone very powerful. I’ve always seen her as someone who’s helping others and has an amazing job. I don’t know exactly what that would be, but I definitely see her high up in the ranks. [Laughs.]
We’ve watched you grow up on this show; you were just a kid back in Season 1! What kind of acting training did Mad Men give you?
Oh my gosh, so much! Mad Men really was my acting school. I mean, from the directors and the writing to working alongside such great people, it was absolutely super influential for me as an actress. I really learned so much just by watching these amazing experts do what they do. For me, it was just taking it all in, and to have that growing up was just really awesome.
From day one, I’ve always had fun on this show. It’s an exciting place to be in! There’s great material, and a great product being made. I think everyone couldn’t help but be super excited. And as I grew older and my character started getting more material, I definitely became more attached to the character. As she was growing up, I was growing up. I think Sally’s a really relatable, timeless character.
Sally’s such a fan favorite. More than anyone else on the show, we’re rooting for her to have a happy ending.
Sally’s the type of person that when you see her and see her talk and her actions, you just kind of know that she’s gonna be alright. She’s figuring things out, she’s growing up… but I just think she’s someone bound for success.
Mad Men airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on AMC.
