The cast and crew find themselves looking back over the years as AMC's Mad Men approaches the end of its seventh and final season, recalling vividly how it all began.

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In a recent Gold Derby interview with editor Matt Noble, star Christina Hendricks talked about her experience on the series (featured below). Nominated for her fifth Emmy this year for her role as Joan Harris, she still marvels at how well the program has done with both critics and audiences.

"We didn't even know if anyone was gonna watch it," she admitted in reference to that first season on AMC, "because we were on a network that people didn't acknowledge or know for original programming."

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Nonetheless, the show gained quite a bit of recognition, with four consecutive wins for Best Drama Series at the Emmys. "It was amazing and we just kept thinking it can't happen again… It was very, very exciting and continues to be but on top of that, we're just so proud of the show."

Hendricks continued to note that on set they don't really think about the awards or the reviews. They just do their best. "We just work as hard as we can…" she explained. "And try to be as authentic as we can."

Hendricks was more than happy to talk about her experience on the show, though she wasn't quick to reveal any spoilers regarding the last seven episodes. "We've been able to maintain some secrecy for years and it's kind of exciting," she explained, sticking closely to creator Matthew Weiner's code of keeping quiet.

"It's hard to say goodbye…" she admitted in looking to the end of Mad Men as the cast and crew begin the slow, painful process of moving on.

"I think we're all excited about the future and new projects," added the actress, "But it [Mad Men] will always be my heart. It changed my life."

Mad Men returns to AMC to finish out its seventh and final season in early 2015.

Tags: Mad Men AMC television