Inside Jon Hamm and John Slattery’s ‘Gift’ of a Friendship: Beach Walks, Barbecues and Cribbage (Exclusive)

The 'Maggie Moore(s)' director and its star exclusively discuss with PEOPLE how they spend their offscreen time together

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Actors John Slattery (L) and Jon Hamm attend the AMC, BBC America, IFC And SundanceTV Emmy After Party at BOA Steakhouse on September 20, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for AMC Networks)
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It’s been more than eight years since Mad Men’s series finale aired, but for Jon Hamm and John Slattery, the Emmy-winning show is the gift that keeps on giving.

Hamm, 52, and Slattery, 60, bonded during the show’s seven seasons and have remained close ever since. “You could grow to hate each other or grow to love one another,” Hamm exclusively tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “We became great friends.” 

Hamm and Slattery collaborated together on the 2022 comedy Confess, Fletch and the new true-crime comedy Maggie Moore(s), in which Hamm’s lonely cop investigates the murders of two women with the same name. Slattery directed Hamm in Maggie Moore(s), a process he describes as easy. "Jon gives you so many options and colors," Slattery explains.

Offscreen, the duo check in with each other regularly, and when they meet up there’s a long list of activities they may do, whether it’s walking the dogs, going on the beach or eating together. "A lot of eating," Slattery emphasizes.

Hamm and his fianceé Anna Osceola, 35, plan on staying on Long Island this summer “kind of around the corner” from Slattery and his wife, Talia Balsam, 64. 

John Slattery, Jon Hamm Actors John Slattery (L) and Jon Hamm pose in the press room for their award for outstanding drama series "Mad Men" at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, in Los Angeles Emmy Awards Pressroom, Los Angeles, USA
Chris Pizzello/AP/REX/Shutterstock

“The time in Long Island, it’s just such a good lifestyle,” says Hamm. “You go get some fish, some corn, grill it up, and it’s a pretty good evening. And yeah, play some cribbage together.” 

For Slattery, their friendship has grown in importance. “The older I get, the more I’m aware of the passage of time,” Slattery explains. “Knowing this whole thing is finite and there’s a winnowing list of people with whom you want to spend your life. I just enjoy Jon’s company. I value it.” 

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The feeling is apparently mutual for Hamm. “When we’re hanging out together—on the beach, in the city, out in L.A.—it’s truly a gift,” Hamm adds. “When we also get to extend that into working together, that’s icing on the cake.” 

Maggie Moore(s) is in theaters now. 

For more on Jon Hamm and John Slattery, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE


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