Jon Hamm has a pretty sizable role in the plot of Bridesmaids, so why is he uncredited? Bridesmaids, directed by The Office’s and Freaks and Geeks’ Paul Feig, was a comedic phenomenon at its 2011 release, even surpassing Knocked Up as the highest-grossing Judd Apatow film. Written by and starring some of the greatest female comedians of the time, Bridesmaids tells the story of a group of women, led by SNL actress Kristen Wiig, who are chosen to be Lillian’s (Maya Rudoph) bridesmaids for her upcoming wedding. Chaos ensues, including battles for the Maid of Honor and best friend status, personal misfortunes and revelations for Annie (Wiig), and common crises women face in marriage in parenthood.
Emmy award-winning actor Jon Hamm plays the supporting role of Ted, Annie’s casual fling who seems to be her common booty call. Annie hopes for more with Ted, while he is only focused on the sexual aspect of their relationship. Bridesmaids defines Ted as a jerk who only shows up for Annie when he wants something sexual and is quick to kick her out once they’ve already hooked up, though his nonchalance and comic responses make him seem like more of an idiot than an outright villain. Annie finally ditching Ted is the flip that shows how much she’s grown and is ready to move on with serious progress in her life.
Since Ted appears in more scenes than alternate credited roles and is an aspect of Annie’s life that is crucial to her personal growth, it’s surprising that Jon Hamm wasn’t credited for his role. Hamm was also one of the most well-known actors at the time, having played the lead role of Don Draper on Mad Men which would still air for four years following Bridesmaids’ release. The real reason Hamm went uncredited was at his own demand; he felt that his serious, dramatic roles in Mad Men and The Town would mislead audiences into thinking Bridesmaids would be a drama instead of a comedy. Instead of using his image as a notable actor in one of the most popular TV shows of all time to promote the movie, he decided to keep his involvement hidden so as to not subvert audience expectations.
By the time Bridesmaids was released in 2011, Hamm was notable for his brooding, serious roles as exemplified by Don Draper in his 7-season run on Mad Men before its controversial ending. The year before, Hamm had also starred opposite Ben Affleck in the Boston crime thriller movie The Town as the FBI agent hunting down Affleck’s crew. As his most notable roles at the time, audiences would have figured Hamm to be playing a Bridesmaids role that took away from the comedy instead of his actual role that helps enhance comic relief in Annie’s relationship misfortunes.
Though Hamm’s role in Bridesmaids was his first major breakaway from his serious roles, the acclaim from his performance led to his further notability as a recurring figure on popular sitcoms. Since Bridesmaids, Hamm has had small roles on sitcoms like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (starring his Bridesmaids co-star and former acting student Ellie Kemper), Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. He also teamed up with his Bridesmaids co-stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O’Dowd for the romantic comedy Friends with Kids the following year. Now that his comedy roles have paralleled his serious, dramatic characters, Jon Hamm is no longer confined to the same typecast he was before Bridesmaids.