When Abigail Spencer popped up for a several-episode run, she was playing one type of archetypal female character defined by her relationship to a man, the free-spirited proto-flower-child who inspires stuffy Don Draper to have yet another affair. She was kind of dead weight on Mad Men, though, to be honest-- Betty's affair was far more interesting-- so I'm hoping she turns out better playing another female archetype in Cowboys and Aliens. According to THR she'll be playing a prostitute and former lover of Daniel Craig's lead character who "makes him change his ways," whatever that means.

Given that filming on Cowboys & Aliens is already well underway, and that Spencer is an actress still not above popping up in annoying commercials, I'd imagine her role will be a small one. But the "hooker with a heart of gold" is a classic Western role, and often turns out to be much more interesting than the bland old "redemptive woman" figure (like Katy Jurado's role in High Noon) I'm glad to see Favreau including the prostitute along with the other classic Western characters in this film, and if it helps Spencer seem a little less irritating than she was as Miss Farrell on Mad Men, all the better.