Jared Harris reveals how Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner told him that he was killing off Harris’ character, Lane Pryce. Harris portrayed Lane in Mad Men seasons 3 to 5, and the British partner of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce took his own life in Mad Men season 5, episode 12, “Commissions and Fees.”
Lane’s exit from Mad Men was a shock and one of the most tragic events in the series. Lane took his own life after Don Draper (Jon Hamm) caught him embezzling funds (that Lane intended to pay back) and demanded his resignation. After a failed suicide attempt in his Jaguar, Lane hanged himself in his office.
Appearing as a guest on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Jared Harris detailed how Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner told him the bad news that Lane Pryce was being killed off. Harris also revealed his reaction that he “fell off my chair laughing” when Weiner broke down Lane’s fake-out suicide in his Jaguar. Read Jared’s quote below:
“[Matthew Weiner] goes, ‘Let’s go back to my office.’… I thought, ‘Oh sh*t, have I done something? What’s going on?’ And then we were waiting for the lift. And Matt is one of the best conversationalists you’ve ever met in your life. If you’re sat next to him at a dinner party, you’re golden. He’s absolutely delightful, funny, incredibly intelligent, really knowledgeable. And we were standing waiting for the lift and he starts talking about the weather. And at that point, I went, ‘Oh, f***. What the f***?’
And then we walk down the corridor, and we get to his room, and he goes, ‘I’ve got this really, really good, expensive brandy.’ Would you like a glass?’ And I go, ‘Oh, for God’s sake! What are you doing? Firing me? What’s going on?’ And he went, “I’m really sorry. I’m not firing you. I’m writing the character off. But it’s a great episode. It’s a really great scene.’ And then he pitched it all to me.’
And when he told me the joke bit about [how] the Jaguar won’t start, I fell off my chair laughing. Because I knew it was a brilliant setup. He’s an incredible writer because that joke, the Jaguar not starting, made you think it wasn’t gonna happen. Lane wasn’t gonna kill himself. So he set it up that he’s gonna kill himself, then he gives you a fakeout so you think that’s been paid off, and then when he’s hung himself, which he’s told you all along is gonna happen, you’re still surprised.”
Watch Jared Harris on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum below:
Lane took his own life because of his humiliation at being fired from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Lane’s first attempt at suicide was by carbon monoxide poisoning in his new Jaguar, a gift from his wife, Rebecca (Embeth Davidtz), which only furthered Lane’s sorrow because it was a rare instance where his wife showed she was proud of him.
Jared Harris enjoyed how Matthew Weiner’s writing toyed with audiences’ expectations, and that Lane not being able to take his own life in his Jaguar was a “fake out” that made viewers think Lane would realize what he was doing and choose to live. Instead, Lane returned to SCDP, typed up a boilerplate resignation letter, and hanged himself.
Lane Pryce was a popular character on Mad Men, and Harris’ uptight Brit often felt slighted by his fellow partners at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Lane felt unappreciated and was resentful that he was the only SCDP partner who didn’t become rich from forming their own ad agency.
Mad Men is now available in 4K on HBO Max. For longtime fans, it’s a way to appreciate Matthew Weiner’s Emmy-winning series in a new light, while new viewers can discover Mad Men for the first time. Just brace yourselves for Lane Pryce’s tragic exit at the end of Mad Men season 5.
Release Date
2007 – 2015-00-00
Showrunner
Matthew Weiner
Elisabeth Moss
Peggy Olson