{"id":38905,"date":"2026-07-15T02:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=38905"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:33:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:33:05","slug":"jon-hamm-was-first-thought-of-for-main-role-in-l-a-noire-prior-to-it-being-given-to-his-mad-men-co-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/?p=38905","title":{"rendered":"Jon Hamm Was First Thought of for Main Role in L.A. Noire Prior to It Being Given to His Mad Men Co-Star"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

**Title: The Casting Decisions Behind L.A. Noire: Jon Hamm vs. Aaron Staton**<\/p>\n

The team at Bondi faced an important choice when selecting the lead character for their innovative video game, *L.A. Noire*. In a recent discussion, Daniel McMahon, a contributor to the project, disclosed that Jon Hamm, celebrated for his legendary performance as Don Draper in the acclaimed series *Mad Men*, was previously under consideration for the Cole Phelps role. In the end, however, the part was awarded to his *Mad Men* colleague, Aaron Staton.<\/p>\n

McMahon offered details about their decision-making approach, pointing out that, although Hamm is a remarkable actor, he ultimately wasn\u2019t ideal for Phelps. “It was never articulated back then, but now I grasp the vision, which was Jon Hamm is a fantastic actor, but he\u2019s not Cole Phelps,” McMahon said. The aesthetic of *Mad Men* closely mirrors the 1950s Old Hollywood charm that infuses *L.A. Noire*, rendering Hamm\u2019s candidacy for the character seem reasonable.<\/p>\n

Don Draper, Hamm\u2019s character, bears significant resemblance to Cole Phelps. Both figures embody intricate masculine identities while hiding profound weaknesses. This similarity made Hamm a logical candidate for the part, yet the developers determined that Staton expressed Phelps\u2019 vulnerability more convincingly. “Aaron Staton excelled at depicting Cole\u2019s fragility,\u201d McMahon noted, highlighting the nuances of character interpretation that Staton injected into his performance.<\/p>\n

If Hamm had assumed the role of Cole Phelps, it is likely that the character would have experienced significant alterations in temperament. McMahon conjectured that Hamm’s portrayal might reflect Don Draper’s stronger character, alluding to the possibility that any vulnerabilities could be concealed by overindulgence in alcohol\u2014something Draper notoriously engages in throughout *Mad Men*. Interestingly, McMahon posited that Hamm might have been better suited for a different character in the game, Jack Kelso, who exists in a morally ambiguous space between ally and adversary.<\/p>\n

In addition to artistic considerations, logistical elements also influenced casting choices. McMahon remarked that Hamm\u2019s celebrity status would have made him a pricey addition to the lineup: \u201cI think Jon Hamm would have been fantastic, but costly,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

As *L.A. Noire* nears its 15th anniversary, enthusiasts have pondered the possibility of a sequel. Although Take-Two\u2019s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has indicated that all options are open, there seem to be no plans to further the series at this time.<\/p>\n

In summary, the selection of Cole Phelps played a critical role in the development of *L.A. Noire*, and the decision between Jon Hamm and Aaron Staton highlights wider themes of character representation and the intricacies of human vulnerability exemplified throughout the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/div>\n

**Title: The Casting Decisions Behind L.A. Noire: Jon Hamm vs. Aaron Staton**<\/p>\n

The team at Bondi faced an important choice when selecting the lead character for their innovative video game, *L.A. Noire*. In a recent discussion, Daniel McMahon, a contributor to the project, disclosed that Jon Hamm, celebrated for his legendary performance as Don Draper in the acclaimed series *Mad Men*, was previously under consideration for the Cole Phelps role. In the end, however, the part was awarded to his *Mad Men* colleague, Aaron Staton.<\/p>\n

McMahon offered details about their decision-making approach, pointing out that, although Hamm is a remarkable actor, he ultimately wasn\u2019t ideal for Phelps. “It was never articulated back then, but now I grasp the vision, which was Jon Hamm is a fantastic actor, but he\u2019s not Cole Phelps,” McMahon said. The aesthetic of *Mad Men* closely mirrors the 1950s Old Hollywood charm that infuses *L.A. Noire*, rendering Hamm\u2019s candidacy for the character seem reasonable.<\/p>\n

Don Draper, Hamm\u2019s character, bears significant resemblance to Cole Phelps. Both figures embody intricate masculine identities while hiding profound weaknesses. This similarity made Hamm a logical candidate for the part, yet the developers determined that Staton expressed Phelps\u2019 vulnerability more convincingly. “Aaron Staton excelled at depicting Cole\u2019s fragility,\u201d McMahon noted, highlighting the nuances of character interpretation that Staton injected into his performance.<\/p>\n

If Hamm had assumed the role of Cole Phelps, it is likely that the character would have experienced significant alterations in temperament. McMahon conjectured that Hamm’s portrayal might reflect Don Draper’s stronger character, alluding to the possibility that any vulnerabilities could be concealed by overindulgence in alcohol\u2014something Draper notoriously engages in throughout *Mad Men*. Interestingly, McMahon posited that Hamm might have been better suited for a different character in the game, Jack Kelso, who exists in a morally ambiguous space between ally and adversary.<\/p>\n

In addition to artistic considerations, logistical elements also influenced casting choices. McMahon remarked that Hamm\u2019s celebrity status would have made him a pricey addition to the lineup: \u201cI think Jon Hamm would have been fantastic, but costly,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

As *L.A. Noire* nears its 15th anniversary, enthusiasts have pondered the possibility of a sequel. Although Take-Two\u2019s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has indicated that all options are open, there seem to be no plans to further the series at this time.<\/p>\n

In summary, the selection of Cole Phelps played a critical role in the development of *L.A. Noire*, and the decision between Jon Hamm and Aaron Staton highlights wider themes of character representation and the intricacies of human vulnerability exemplified throughout the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaitgames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}