January Jones is mad about 'Mad Men'

PASADENA, Calif. — January Jones got herself in trouble on the set of "Mad Men."

In a town where thin is perpetually in, the actress' physical appearance was of concern to the show's producers.

"I got told a couple of days ago that I look too skinny and I was in trouble," Jones said.

"Mad Men" is set in the mid-1960s, when the standard of female beauty leaned more toward curves and less toward super-skinny. Which makes the "Mad Men" set a bit different than most TV and movie productions, where the actresses are so often encouraged to keep their weight down as much as possible.

"If anything, they tell us to gain weight, gain weight, gain weight, because they want a soft look to these (1960s) women. And it was beautiful, which it should be," Jones said. "Let's bring that back."

When the third season of "Mad Men" kicks off on Sunday at 8, 9 and 11 p.m. on AMC, Jones certainly doesn't have to look thin. Her character, Betty Draper, is about seven months pregnant.

And the pregnancy has, at least for the moment, saved her marriage to philandering advertising executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm).

"I think the whole baby thing … it's kind of been a rebirth for them," Jones said. "They're being very nice to each other and they're looking at this baby as being a new beginning for them. I can't give anything away, but the pregnancy is a very optimistic time for them."

Of course, Don is still Don. And, in Sunday's premiere, he takes a business trip. So … well, Don is still Don.

Although you can never feel too comfortable predicting what's going to happen next on "Mad Men." The show is always full of surprises.

And Jones has gotten over the surprise that nobody complains when she eats on the set.

"I eat whatever's at Craft Service. I'm a big meat eater. I'm from South Dakota, so I eat meat and potatoes, carbs," she said. "We're encouraged not to work out. They want soft. They don't want any muscle definition. I'm naturally pretty thin, so. ..."

Jones credits costume designer Janie Bryant for her "amazing" work on the show, re-creating '60s fashion.

"A lot of thought goes into that and a lot of shows don't do that. I think it lends a lot to the show," she said.

And it doesn't feel like she's playing dress-up.