Empire nearly got some of that Mad Men swagger.
John Slattery (aka Roger Sterling) revealed that prior to Empire‘s launch, he was approached to appear on the Fox show by one of his Mad Men co-stars (who also happens to be one of the head honchos on Empire).
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“That’s Danny Strong who punches me in the balls!” he told The Daily Beast about one memorable Mad Men episode featuring the Empire showrunner. “That guy is on top of the world right now with Empire. If he reads this, ‘Danny, I need a job!’ He actually asked me if I wanted to be on Empire, and I think I let that ship sail. I don’t know who I would’ve played… some white dude.”
Presumably he would have played Creedmoor Entertainment impressario and Luscious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) number one rival, Billy Baretti. That role eventually went to Judd Nelson.
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The runaway Fox drama was renewed for a season two after only two episodes aired back in January. So perhaps, it’s not too late for Slattery. He does have some time on his hands. The last seven Mad Men episodes begin airing in April 5. The series finale is slated for May 17.