By now, you know that Mad Men is starting its fifth season after a painful (at least for us viewers) hiatus. Without a doubt Sunday's premiere is going to be epic with all the twists and turns that you expect from the award winning show. I got a chance to chat with some of your favorite actors from the show and they dropped some hints about the upcoming season as well as what gets them in the mood to work on such a phenomenal show.

Jared Harris (Lane Pryce):

You know Jared as the straight-laced Lane, but the man behind the three piece suit is excitable and jovial. He's not just reaping success from Mad Men, you saw him in this winter's smash Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Plus, you'll see him in the upcoming film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. When I talked to Jared he joked about his coyness because creator Matthew Weiner was sitting next to him (Weiner is notoriously tight lipped about spoilers and hints). However, in regards to this Sunday's episode, Harris dropped some tasty hints. "After this season's over, if you go back and watch the premiere, everything is set up  in the first two hours. Matt doesn't go backwards, he doesn't repeat himself and he's not interested in regurgitating story lines."

On the future of his character, Harris says that Weiner pays great attention to detail and that every choice that he makes is surprising. "I can't control what Matt's going to do." He does take relief that he is contracted through season seven. I asked Harris which character traits he shares with Lane Pryce and which traits he doesn't. "A large point of reference is based on my step-father Rex Harris, he's one of the models for the character. I haven't got his [Lane Pryce's] fastidiousness or his dress sense. I'm enjoying that part of the character; you can't show up for Mad Men in just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. And you know, we all have to do our taxes once a year and when I'm pouring over those f*cking pieces of paper I think of Lane Pryce. I think of it as character research."

On the off season, Harris plays poker with Vincent Kartheiser (Peter Campbell) and jokes "If I could have an affair with anyone it would be John Slattery."

Vincent Kartheiser (Peter Campbell):

Vincent Kartheiser (known to his fellow cast members as Vinny) rub some people the wrong way, but this native Minnesotan is thoughtful, intelligent and friendly. Through all the changes that Peter Campbell has experienced in the last few seasons (he is a new daddy after all!) Kartheiser also echoes the same sentiments as Harris in trusting Weiner in his choices yet not settling on expectations. 

Kartheiser also identifies with the character of Peter in many ways: "I love that the character has gone from 26-32 years old. That time in a man's life is a time where you either succeed or you find out that you will never be the man you wanted to be. This is where you stick your flag in the ground." But there are some things that Vinny doesn't share with Pete. "I'm similar to Pete because we both can be immature and petulant and we can act out of fear. But I think that me and him are generally sure that we are doing the correct thing. Pete is much more ambitious than I am, much more cutthroat than I am, and I think he can be way more competitive as well."

Kartheiser frequently shares the screen in dramatic moments with co-star Elizabeth Moss and I asked him if there was anything he does to prepare for these scenes. "I used to jump around and curse and kick my heels together and do all sorts of vocal exercises, but I found in last season it didn't really help that much." So no shot-gunning beers? He laughs, "Contrary to popular belief acting drunk while being drunk does not help."

January Jones (Betty Draper):

While we won't see a lot of her this season (due to the fact that the gorgeous actress just had a baby), January is still excited to bring the ice queen Betty back into our lives. And yes, she understands that we as viewers all kind of hate Betty, but she defends the character as well as some of Betty's choices. Everyone's biggest question, will Betty ever be happy? I asked Jones if she was looking forward to a moment where Betty would grow up a little bit especially since she was with the more stable Henry rather than the mysterious Don.  "We left off at the end of the season four and she approached Don because she said that she wasn't happy, with hopes that maybe he would agree with her. She handled that as well as she handled anything. She's still…well, you'll see more struggles. I can't give anything away but she's not necessarily happy."

Jones isn't just busy raising a new born and working on the hit show- she's also an incredible advocate for marine research and the face of Anti-Shark Finning. I asked her the connection she had with charity work, "I'm still very involved with Oceana and have several things coming up about shark finning, ocean conservations and more PSAs. I might even travel abroad to bring awareness about shark finning because America has become so good about being aware." Does she have any plans on getting her son into a wet suit anytime soon? "As soon as he's ready. I didn't see an ocean until I was 16 so I'm very excited that I get to introduce him to that world."

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