Christina Hendricks, renowned for her iconic role as Joan in Mad Men, rose to global fame, but her physical appearance often overshadowed her talents as an actress.
Six years after the show's conclusion, she remains active in the world of television and, for the past two years, has been enjoying the single life post-divorce from actor Geoffrey Arend.
Born on May 3, 1975, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Christina Hendricks is the daughter of a psychologist and a forestry agent. Her family frequently moved due to her father's profession, which led her mother to encourage Christina and her older brother to participate in drama school in Twin Falls, Idaho, to help them make friends.
Naturally a blonde, Hendricks started experimenting with hair dye at the age of 10, inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Later, when the family moved to Fairfax, Virginia, she experienced bullying. The actress recounted to The Telegraph how she felt like an outcast in high school, with her peers harassing her for her gothic appearance. Her only solace was the theater.
Upon completing her education, she signed with the IMG modeling agency and moved to New York at the age of 18. Her modeling career involved both mannequin work and appearing in advertisements, with the notable achievement of her hand appearing on the American Beauty movie poster.
In the late 1990s, Christina Hendricks transitioned to acting. After several years of episodic and supporting roles in series such as ER and Firefly, she landed the role of Joan Holloway in Mad Men (2007-2015). For seven seasons, she portrayed the head secretary at the advertising agency central to the series, set in the 1960s.
Despite receiving six Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Hendricks voiced her frustration multiple times about media obsession with her physical appearance. Notably, a study by a UK association of plastic surgeons, reported by The Daily Telegraph, indicated a 10% increase in the demand for breast implants in 2010, influenced in part by her character.
Hendricks was celebrated for representing a different standard of women's beauty on television, one that celebrated curves over extreme thinness. Nevertheless, she felt that her acting talents were overshadowed by the focus on her body. In her words to GQ magazine, "I was working myself to death, and people were only talking about my body." She acknowledged that her figure had previously been more of a hindrance than an asset.
Hendricks recalled occasions when casting agents expressed concerns about her size, saying she was "fantastic" but "too big" for a role. In her words, "They usually told me, 'We have to fix it, hide it, you have a lot of chest. Can you wear that top any other way?' But on Mad Men, it was, 'You look fantastic in that dress.'"
During her tenure on Mad Men, Christina Hendricks ventured into film, starring in productions such as "Drive" (2011), "Lost River" (2014), and "Dark Places" (2015). Post-Mad Men, she continued her work on television, appearing in series like the crime drama "Tin Star" (2017-2020) and the comedy "Good Girls" (2018-).
On a personal note, Hendricks was married to actor Geoffrey Arend from 2009 to 2019. The couple jointly announced their divorce after a 12-year relationship.
