Based on Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett’s 1990 novel, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Amazon Prime released the miniseries, Good Omens, on May 31 with an A-list casting. Jon Hamm – who received notable recognition and awards for his role as Don Draper from AMC’s Mad Men – plays Archangel Gabriel. His undying love for the novel didn’t require Hamm to read Gaiman’s scripts beforehand.
“I was just pleased to be asked to be part of it,” said Hamm. “I haven’t had that experience before, to get an opportunity to work on something that I enjoyed in a completely different aspect. I really loved it. It would be like me getting the chance to work on a “Star Wars” thing because I have been a fan of “Star Wars” all my life.”
The concept for the Archangel Gabriel wasn’t created until the show came along.
“It doesn’t really exist in the book; he’s just mentioned in passing,” explained Hamm. “I felt very confident in trusting Neil, because he co-wrote the book, to come up with a version of the Archangel Gabriel that would be compelling. Then it was working with [director] Douglas [Mackinnon], costume, and hair and makeup, and we all came down on the same side of who this guy is and what he looks like.”
Hamm had initially envisioned a different way for the character to play out.
“I had thought originally that he was going to be British – this sort of posh upper-class person that would do one thing and tell you another,” described Hamm. “But Neil said, ‘No, he’s American, because there’s a certain confidence that American businessmen have.’ Trump does it – it’s bulls—, it’s a firm handshake and all this other stuff.”
You can watch Jon Hamm in the six-part series of Good Omens on Amazon Prime.