Luckily, she was well prepared.
That is the era of obsession, in my opinion, the 22-year-old says.
I was probably on a Harry Styles kick.
In recent years, shes proved her staying power in Hollywood with Netflixs popular teen showChilling Adventures of Sabrina.
What was your life like when you were 14?
What were you thinking about and worrying about?
Fourteen is a fun age to talk about because that was the last season ofMad Men.
Fourteen, in a way, was the end of an era for me.
I had been working onMad Mensince I was 6 years old.
I would say I was, emotionally, a little cracked open.
Did you think about going to regular high school or quitting acting?
So I never felt that pressure to stay, but I always knew that I wanted to.
I never went to a traditional high school.
I always did an independent study program.
College was something that I thought about attending.
I figured, why?
Im curious about how you learned to socialize.
I was going to the Emmys every year, but I really wanted to go to prom.
Thats the child actor thing in a nutshell.
I wasnt taking movies in betweenMad Men[seasons].
I wasnt trying to hustle.
It was my one thing and everything else was focused on being a kid.
I do remember, Matt Weiner, the creator ofMad Men, had kids my age growing up.
One of them had a party while he was out of town and I was invited.
I remember that feeling at the time [that] it sort of encapsulated my existence.
That is a very entertaining image to me.
Just being like, Matt’s going to find out!
Not my parents, but my boss!
You were spending a lot of time around adults, as opposed to other kids your age.
What was that like?
It definitely shaped my personality and the way I have moved about the world.
But at the same time, I never felt like I was talked down to or treated differently.
It made me very interested in people.
Sally was always a little ahead of me.
She got her period before I got mine, I remember that.
I remember being like, Okay, she beat me to it, once again.
Always one step ahead, that Sally.
It was interesting to grow up with this parallel human.
It did feel right.
What do you remember about shooting that, and working with Jon?
I love him so much.
I think that [the most] memorable [thing], shooting-wise, was probably those diner scenes.
It just felt like this really honest, mature moment for both of them.
It felt good as an actor, too.
It was [the] end of a long day.
Obviously, from my perspective, Sallys giving an honest but small gift to Don.
But what stuck with me [watching the episode] was Jons reaction, which I never saw.
I hadnt watched the show until maybe two years ago.
I continually make sense of the relationship to this day.
Was there anything that you remember being fixated on in a formative way?
I feel like thats an age when I was really obsessively into things.
I was really obsessed with music when I was 14.
I was a little snooty about it.
I just listened to all of it and I just loved it.
If I was entrenched in anything at 14, it was probably listening to music.
That was the way that I viewed the world, through the songs that I listened to.
And I loved restaurants in LA.
Jonathan Gold was still with us amazing, amazing food critic for theLA Times.
He would write a 101 Best Restaurant List every single year in LA.
That, to me, was definitely part of my childhood too.
I know you love fashion.
When you were 14, how were you learning to think about clothes?
I think that’s what stayed with me.
I think thatll stay with me forever.
Thats always in the back of my mind.
I was just so in awe of her growing up … She is just one of a kind.
By 14 you were aware of the fanaticism for your show.
I definitely felt that in the later years of the show.
That, to me, was thrilling.
That was, obviously, toward the end of the run.
I remember meeting [Veepstar] Tony Hale when I was probably 14.
Actually, I remember that was a big one for me.
Meeting Tony Hale at 14 was the game changer.
Ive never been that starstruck.
Truly, I was not coherent at all.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
