What you need to know
John Slattery is looking back on his time with Mad Men.
The 63-year-old actor recalled passing his “Mad Men” co-star Colin Hanks “for a split second” while talking to PEOPLE about the film “Nuremberg.”
The 2025 drama will reunite Slattery with Hanks, 48, who appeared in three episodes as Father Gil in Season 2 of the Jon Hamm-led TV series.
David Benthal/BFA.com
Slattery played Mad Men’s Roger Starling for seven seasons from 2007 to 2015, and also directed three episodes. The actor told PEOPLE that he did not interact with Hanks on the series, but that they passed each other on set.
“We had (met) briefly at the time,” Slattery said. “I didn’t have anything to do with him story-wise on the show, but I did meet him and talk to him.”
everett collection
She added that Hanks was a “great guy” and that they spent “a lot” of time together during the filming of Nuremberg.
The film, directed by James Vanderbilt, follows U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelly (Rami Malek), who is tasked with analyzing the mental state of Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Goering (Russell Crowe), and other high-ranking Nazi officials after the Holocaust.
Slattery plays Colonel Andrus, who eventually brings in psychologist Gustave Gilbert, played by Hanks, to provide a second opinion on Kelly’s work.
The drama film is based on the nonfiction book Nazis and Psychiatrists by Jacques Elhay and also stars Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, and Richard E. Grant.
Mr. Slattery said he was initially drawn to the film because of the star-studded cast, and then read Vanderbilt’s script and a nonfiction book written by the real-life Barton C. Andrus.
“It’s a great story and I’ve had great people to work with. (Vanderbilt) had the funding to make it on some scale and scale, which doesn’t happen very often,” he said. “Movies like this don’t get made anymore at this price point.”
Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures Classics
Never miss a news. Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories.
Regarding his bond with his co-stars, Slattery said, “It was a great group. We all got along great. Michael Shannon is a really funny guy. I’ve known Rami[Malek]for a while. We had a great time. It was heavy and heavy during the day, but after it was over, it was easy to de-stress.”
Slattery said the cast “all lived in the same hotel” and often hung out together after filming. “The material was great and I think everyone felt it was worth their time. So we had a really good time,” he tells PEOPLE.
