(CNN) -- Christina Hendricks' decision to star in "Mad Men" was a risk that paid off. When the 39-year-old actress first spotted the script for Matthew Weiner's '60s-era drama, her interest was piqued. But while she was all in to play Joan Holloway, the sharp and curvacious secretary who would rise to become an integral member of "Mad Men's" world, Hendricks' agency wasn't so sure. "They said, 'It's a period piece, it's never going to go anywhere," the actress told U.K. paper The Guardian. "'We need you to make money and this isn't going to make money.'" The agency, she continued, "ended up dropping me."
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Christina Hendricks was dropped by her agency over "Mad Men"
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But the risk paid off, as the series has earned her five Emmy nods
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She was also bullied in high school
But after stepping into @placeholder's shoes, and earning five Emmy nominations along the way, Hendricks' popularity has soared.