Kiernan Shipka reflects on playing Sally Draper: 'I knew what was going on'

Kiernan Shipka, who played Sally Draper on Mad Men, has fond memories of her time on the show. 

Appearing on the Dinner's On Me podcast, Shipka shared her experiences as a child actor on the hit series.

"I don't know if it was because my brain and body just decided to remember, like, audition, first day, whole thing," Shipka explained. "I'm glad for that. I mean, I'm sure there's some days that are a blip, but that's kind of everything."

The actress appreciated the show's team for shielding her from adult content, but admits she had some understanding of the scenes. 

"I was reacting to, like, Jon playing Words with Friends on his phone as an eye line and not the real deal... They were so protective over me and my kind of innocence and not exposing me to stuff that, you know, was sensitive or more adult."

As a child, she recalled thinking, "I know what this is. Like, I'm good. I'm fine... I think at a certain point, I was like, 'Guys, I know what this is. Like, I'm mature. I'm an adult. I know what's going on here. Like, it's fine, guys.'"

Years later, Shipka watched the entire series during the COVID-19 pandemic, just before turning 21. This experience allowed her to analyze her character's journey. 

"I was watching [Sally] go through stuff that at the time [of filming] I was feeling in a really natural way... But now as sort of an adult, I can psychoanalyze and go, 'Oh, no, she was grieving there and acting out.'"

She reflected on understanding her character's emotions then and now. "At the time, I think I understood her as much as she understood herself. And as I get older, I kind of understand her the way that I hope she, you know, would understand herself one day with therapy."