Interview: John Slattery talks about reuniting with Jon Hamm for ‘Confess, Fletch’

Fletch is making a return to the big screen this week as Jon Hamm (‘Mad Men’) puts his spin on the classic character from Gregory McDonald’s books, played in the 80s by Chevy Chase, in new film ‘Confess, Fletch‘.

With Hamm in the lead role, the film has assembled a stellar cast which includes Hamm’s former ‘Mad Men’ co-star John Slattery as Fletch’s former boss Frank Jaffe. The two actors share a couple of memorable scenes in the film, which is a classic whodunnit revolving around the mysterious death of a woman found in Fletch’s rented townhouse.

I caught up with John recently to talk about the film, discuss reuniting with Jon and to find out if he’d ever consider a ‘Mad Men’ revival…

Firstly I’ll say that I saw ‘Confess, Fletch’ recently and I really enjoyed the film. How did you get involved in the film?

I got a call from my pal Jon Hamm. I was sent the script through my agent. I knew that Jon was trying to get the movie made and that Greg Mottola was going to be directing. I directed a film, that hasn’t come out yet, that Hamm is the star of and I knew it was going to affect (the schedule) one way or the other. I knew that it was happening, I just wasn’t sure when. I didn’t know that I was going to be asked to be involved and then they asked me to play Frank and I was happy to do it. It was only a couple of scenes and but it was great fun. I’m a big fan of Greg Mottola and I’m good friends with Hamm.

You and Jon have history having starred together in ‘Mad Men’. What was it like to be acting opposite one another again?

It was funny sitting in a bar we’ve sat at I don’t know how many bars together on-screen and off-screen. That was amusing. There’s an easy rapport. We actually worked together day one of the pilot of ‘Mad Men’ and he had to do a very involved scene, and we just hit it off right away. He had to do all kinds of business and I just had to stand there and watch and then make some snide comment at the end of the scene as I would do, and leave. We just hit it off right away and have been that way since. This was a very easy rhythm to fall into. The scenes were apparent what the dynamic was and the history of the two characters and all that. It was nice to have a built in history, and not have to cook it all up.

For fans of ‘Fletch’ it’s such a treat to have a new film because it’s been a long time since the last one with Chevy Chase. Why do you think the character resonated so strongly and why is now the time for the character to return to the big screen?

I think it’s the initial success of Chevy and his take on it, and how great and charming and funny and original that was. I think the difficulty was acknowledging that that’s a unique tone that you can’t recreate, and nobody can do Chevy Chase. Does the material work and does the tone work with someone else? There have been numerous false starts or starts and stops; there’s so many reasons why movies don’t happen. This was a good meeting of actor and material, and Jon was a big fan of the books growing up. He and Greg are friends and have worked together before, and Greg’s obviously a great comedic talent as well. I guess the stars aligned and they got it done.

The whodunnit is coming back into fashion with Agatha Christie adaptations and the ‘Knives Out’ franchise performing strongly. Why do you think it’s coming back into fashion?

Maybe because the world is in such shit shape that people want to be taken away and entertained, and swept away into a story and totally absorbed in a story that isn’t the day-to-day condition of the world. I’ve been reading a lot of fiction. I just find it a great escape at the end of the day, or whatever, just to dive into a great story.

Perhaps that is why the film has hit the mark with fans and been garnering good reviews from the critics. The word-of-mouth for the film has been strong too. Are you surprised by how well it’s been received?

It hasn’t taken me by surprise. I guess good reviews are always a pleasant surprise because you lose sight of all that. Each time I make something I forget it’s going to be judged thoroughly when it’s finished. You get caught up in the making of it, you respond to material that you have some kind of emotional/intellectual connection with and then you spend a long time figuring out how you want to attack it and do it and work on it. It takes over your whole life and then eventually you recall, ‘oh yeah, right. People are going to either love or hate this’ and that’s part of the equation. Happily people are enjoying it. It’s always nicer when they do.

‘Confess, Fletch’ sets up the franchise to continue. Would you be interested in reprising the role of Frank again?

Yeah I would, absolutely! I think they’ve made three now. Chevy made two and this is the third. I think there were 11 so there’s eight more (to make) but that’s not to say that you couldn’t remake any of the other ones. I really had a good time. It wasn’t hugely taxing on my end. Jon was there all day every day, as was Greg of course. It was a lark for me. Yeah, I’d love to do it again.

What do you have coming up outside of ‘Confess, Fletch’?

I did a movie called ‘Maggie Moore(s)’ with Jon and Tina Fey. I screened it recently looking for distribution. It’s a comedy about a double murder and we’re looking for the right home for it. It’s an it’s a ever-shifting ground, the streaming and the buying and selling movies and TV. It’s a weird time. There are companys emerging or disappearing or exponentially growing? There’s so much material out, there’s so much content out there, that you want to find the right place to cut through.

The pandemic has changed the way things get released too. ‘Confess, Fletch’ was released in cinemas and on streaming on the same day in the US…

Day and date release, which they did, has been around for a few years. I think it was designed so that people that weren’t going to get it in movie theatres, they would take advantage of the national press or the international press that they got, and release it on streaming platforms at the same time. The people who are going to go to the theatres are going to go anyway. That’s sort of not my purview as to how to orchestrate people going to the theatre and streaming it at the same time. (For this film) they had a theatrical release as well as a streaming release at the same time, and it seems to have worked.

There’s a real appetite for reboots and revivals right now. Would you consider revisiting ‘Mad Men’ if Jon and the original cast were on board?

Yes, theoretically. That would take a lot of doing on the part of a lot of different people. I have nothing but the best memories from that show and the friendships that I’ve made, and the collaborations (I’ve done). Yeah. If we could get that going, I’d do it.

‘Confess, Fletch’ will be released in cinemas on Friday 18th November 2022. Watch the trailer below: