With the “Mad Men season finale airing tonight, I was surprised to discover a Mississippi connection: Kit Williamson, a Jackson native and former St. Andrew’s student, landed a role this season as ad exec Ed Gifford.
I caught up with Williamson by phone last week. While our story ran in Saturday’s paper, much of it had to be trimmed — so here’s the full scoop.
Born to two local attorneys, Williamson first fell in love with acting after seeing his sister perform at New Stage Theatre. He joined the summer program soon after and dove into classical roles like Molière and Shakespeare.
“I just knew I wanted to be on stage,” he said.
Influenced by Mississippi actor John Maxwell, Williamson left Jackson at 16 to attend Interlochen, a performing arts boarding school in Michigan. He later studied at Fordham in New York, acting off-Broadway and even landing a role in “Talk Radio” with Liev Schreiber.
He eventually moved to L.A., where he’s now working toward an MFA in playwriting at UCLA. His big break came when his manager got him an audition for “Mad Men.” He didn’t get a real script — creator Matthew Weiner is notoriously secretive — but his nervousness at the audition may have helped. “The character’s kind of awkward too,” he said.
Williamson described being on set with actors like Elisabeth Moss as “a masterclass in acting.” While he doesn’t know if his character will return, he hopes Ed gets a little more confident if he does.
Outside of “Mad Men,” Williamson is also a writer and filmmaker. He’s penned entertainment and LGBTQ+ pieces for “The Huffington Post” and created a web series called “Eastsiders,” picked up by LOGO. He also acts in another series, “Hipsterhood,” and has appeared on “Numb3rs” and in the indie film “Best Friends Forever.”
He says he’s less interested in fame and more focused on doing quality work: “I’d rather play unique character roles than chase celebrity.”
And while he loves his West Coast life, he misses Jackson — especially the food. “The first place I go when I’m home is Thai House,” he said.
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