Jerry Seinfeld Cast Jon Hamm and John Slattery as Ad Execs in Unfrosted So He Could 'Finally Be in Mad Men'

"A reason I made the movie is because I couldn't be in 'Mad Men,' " Seinfeld tells PEOPLE of his directorial debut 'Unfrosted'

Jerry Seinfeld attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix's "UNFROSTED" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on April 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.; Jon Hamm attends the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.; WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN -- John Slattery
Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm and John Slattery. Photo:

Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage; Amy Sussman/Getty; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Jerry Seinfeld took the chance to fulfill one of his life goals when directing his new Netflix comedy Unfrosted.

The comedian, 70, always dreamed of being on the hit AMC series Mad Men, which had a seven-season run from 2007 to 2015. So when casting Unfrosted, he asked the show's stars, Jon Hamm and John Slattery, to play advertising executives in his film about the creation of Pop-Tarts.

"A reason I made the movie is because I couldn't be in Mad Men, but I thought I could be in a suit in the '60s in an office, so it was as close as I could get," he tells PEOPLE.

The film takes place in the same era as Mad Men and Hamm and Slattery play ad execs similar to their Don Draper and Roger Sterling characters.

Jim Gaffigan as Edsel Kellogg III, Jerry Seinfeld (Director) as Bob Cabana, Fred Armisen as Mike Puntz and Melissa McCarthy as Donna Stankowski in Unfrosted
Unfrosted.

John P. Johnson / Netflix

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Besides Hamm and Slattery, the comedy features an ensemble cast including Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh GrantAmy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Moynihan, Adrian Martinez, Sarah Cooper and Fred Armisen. And Seinfeld says working with the cast was the highlight of making the film.

"Amy was very reluctant to play a villain. She'd never played a villain, and I said, 'You'll be a great villain.' And she was great," says Seinfeld. "And Melissa is unbelievably funny and came up with all those crazy outfits and hairdos. I just said, 'We're just going to have fun with this.' "

But doing the Mad Men-type scene with Hamm and Slattery is something he will never forget.

"When Jon and John agreed I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to be in Mad Men finally!' " he says. "That was a dream come true."

For more on Jerry Seinfeld, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

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