The queue outside of the auditorium snaked nearly 200 people long. This wasn’t an unusual sight for the South Pasadena concert hall from bookers and promoters Sid the Cat. Their year-old destination, housed inside a 19th Century elementary school, has already hosted Sylvan Esso, Mike D, Death Cab for Cutie and Jenny Lewis side hustle Nice as Fuck. But on the October Saturday in question, the stage inside Sid the Cat Auditorium was empty. Instead, the crowd was there for actress Christina Hendricks at the venue’s bar.
Most would expect Hendricks, the instantly recognizable redhead from Mad Men, Drive and Good Girls, to be there performing a one-woman show. Maybe some experimental theater. Perhaps she’s just joined the legion of celebrities with their own line of spirits. But they clearly don’t know Hendricks, because she was there to DJ. “Everyone who knows me says, ‘Oh yeah, this makes perfect sense,’” Hendricks tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Because I’ve been doing this since junior high, making playlists and forcing them upon people. This is my favorite thing.”
Rumblings of “DJ Christina Hendricks” began earlier in 2026 after she made two appearances at San Diego listening bar Part Time Lover. Her debut was a bit of a fluke at the coaxing of her close friend, the harpist and DJ Mary Lattimore. She suggested Hendricks bring some of her own records down from Los Angeles. She’d show her the ropes and they’d share billing. Hendricks says she balked for a split second before she recognized the kind of wish fulfillment that was on the table. Each played for two hours. Hendricks proved a quick study and Part Time Lover asked her back. But with Lattimore busy, she decided to go it alone. She was getting comfortable with the gear, and it felt like a relatively low-pressure scenario.
Hendricks at Sid’s Bar. (Photo credit: Eric Garcia)
“When we started walking towards the venue, my husband went, ‘I think there’s a line out front,’” says Hendricks, who’s married to cinematographer George Bianchini. “I said, ‘Oh no, sweetie, that must be for restaurants and stuff.’ As we got closer, he was like, ‘No, I’m pretty sure that’s a line for you.’ That’s when I started feeling pressure.”
If she’s still feeling pressure, it appears to be eclipsed by the kick she’s getting out of all of this. At Sid’s Bar, a former classroom in the 140-year-old building, Hendricks looked gleeful as she navigated a playlist that meandered between Shoegaze, Chillwave, Electronic and Indie Sleeze. The crowd, which appeared to lean heavy on 30-to-50-somethings, nodded in approval. And when Hendricks transitioned from Washed Out to The Knife, this geriatric millennial, for one, felt very seen.
The free show marked Hendricks’ first gig in Los Angeles County, so the audience naturally skewed a little industry. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was in the crowd, as was Hendricks’ longtime body double and stand-in, Becky Stockton. Johnny Jewel, the artist and music producer who scored Hendricks vehicle Lost River, was there, as were colleagues of Bianchini. Many filtered in and out during the four-hour set, though the bar remained at capacity until she closed with “Protest Song” by Broken Social Scene.
Hendricks says she’s still getting used to different crowds and isn’t sure what to think when people don’t dance. “I’m trying to not let how people react determine whether they had a good time or not,” she says. “As an actor, hopefully you’re making people feel something and telling a story. But it’s someone else’s story. With this, I’m not just the performer but the director and the editor at the same time. I’m in the room with the audience, so they’re a part of it as well. I’ve realized that it’s just a different way to tell a story.”
Attendees and a few lookie-loos at Hendricks’ set. (Photo credit: Eric Garcia)
Recently wrapping two acting projects — the third season of Apple TV+ drama The Buccaneers and BBC miniseries Reputation, in which she stars opposite Naomie Harris — Hendricks says she’s leaning into DJing as much as she can. On Halloween, she’ll return to San Diego for another set at Part Time Lover. And, throughout November, she’ll be part of a guest DJ series on KCRW, programming an hour of music each week. For the first two weeks, which she’d already submitted when we spoke, her intention is to stick to what she’s been spinning live. Then she plans to stretch herself a little more. A “sad girl dreamy hour,” an A guitar-focused set and a dark, moody jazz playlist are all on the table.
When I remind Hendricks that it’s almost awards season and invites for her to DJ Hollywood parties are probably already being drafted, she says she’s game. “I’d love that,” says Hendricks. “The nice thing about all of this is that each time I do it, I get more calls — offers to come and do stuff, people saying they’ll help teach me new things — and I’m saying yes. Let’s do it all.”