By Andrew Cristi
By Andrew Cristi
When asked about who he would most like to work with in the future, the highly acclaimed Vincent Kartheiser is quick to say that he is most thrilled to work with young, new, up and coming talent in the business- a rare answer in an industry where every actor is always trying to get a leg up and be able to drop the most prestigious name. But, the bright-eyed talent isn’t like other actors. Even though the star isn’t even forty years old yet, his resume already speaks volumes as he has been working now for twenty-five years, starting out as a mere child and also having put in seven seasons on one of the most prolific televisions of all time; “Mad Men.” No novice by any means, Kartheiser is a true artist as well as an actor.
That’s why it comes as no surprise to hear that the gifted performer says that his greatest joy when it comes to acting is being able to contribute ideas that helps play into deeper character development. Case in point? The Emmy award winning decision to have his reprehensible “Mad Men” character Pete Campbell suffer from a receding hairline throughout the end of series- a circumstance that Kartheiser wasn’t going through. As any man knows- hair loss is nothing short of traumatizing, and the idea that an actor would openly choose to face such a horrendous fear in order to paint a better portrait of their character is truly Emmy worthy in the greatest possible sense. For a character like Pete, the choice the was beyond brilliant- it made his foreshadowed evolution that much more poignant, and the actor never held back from allowing Pete to be the most unlikable, emasculated man on the screen. In a world where every male character around him was being celebrated and cheered on weekly by men around the globe who got a thrill out of the show’s nostalgic workplace machismo as scotch and cigars in the office swiftly became back in vogue, Kartheiser’s pitiful character was the antithesis of these admired males- and instead of fearing for his own celebrity or likability, the dedicated artist only added to the sadness of this character’s life, willingly shaving into his own thick locks to help take away from his own God given good looks. Now that’s an actor, and it all played into what made “Mad Men” the A+ caliber show that it was. Unfortunately, there is no justice, and the brilliant actor was robbed not only of Emmy gold, but also snubbed of even a nomination. However, the hair and make-up team did win the Emmy that year, and since Kartheiser is a true team player at heart, that seems to be all that matters to him.
And that team player attitude hasn’t gone anywhere since the modern classic show took it’s bow in 2015. Since then, the thoughtful star has worked on several projects- including “My Friend Dahmer” alongside some of our favorite talents such as Anne Heche, Alex Wolff, and Ross Lynch. Always thrilled to be in good company, Kartheiser especially praises younger actors like Wolff and Lynch, whom he claims have passion and intensity that inspire him to be a better actor. It’s always a good sign when a seasoned veteran can go into work without ego feeling like they are learning from their younger co-stars- it means that they are always evolving as an artist. And the Minnesota native also brings that same cheerleader mentality with him when he watches “The Handmaid’s Tale” as he cheers on former “Mad Men” co-star Elizabeth Moss, as well as his incredible wife, Alexis Bledel.
But, now, the skilled actor has set his sights in a whole new direction. With the new film “Most Likely To Murder,” Kartheiser dives deep into more unfamiliar waters; a straight up comedy, surrounding himself with comedic pros such as Rachel Bloom and Adam Pally. Humble and quite earnest, the multi-talented actor is cautious to consider himself a comedic actor by any measure of the mile, and careful to plot his career with any certain strategy, saying that he takes roles based on the project and company rather than genre or role, however, this smart move here might indicate otherwise. While the star has been very celebrated for his intense performances which have mostly been rooted in dramas, as any fan or critic familiar with Kartheiser’s work would know, the actor is well-equipped when it comes to comedy- and “Most Likely To Murder” is a great way to watch him hone those skills. A playful take on “Rear Window,” the film is fantastic silly fun with the talented actor contributing perfectly.
With “MOST LIKELY TO MURDER” available On Digital, DVD & On Demand May 1st, Wingman knew we had to sit down and talk to Kartheiser about his hot new film, his dive into comedy, his upcoming projects and of course, ask him a bit about “Mad Men” also! Read below to see what he had to say!
WINGMAN: “Most Likely To Murder” has a really funny plot going on here. Tell fans a little bit about the film and about your character; Lowell.
VINCENT KARTHEISER: So, “Most Likely To Murder” is about a guy who goes back to his childhood town in the suburbs, and back in high school he was the most popular guy around, and he was slightly a bit of a bully. So, when he comes back home at this point he hasn’t really been a success in his real life even though he’s been lying to everyone that he has, and everyone has changed and grown up and he’s still the same old guy, and he has plans to sweep in and win back the girl he’s always been in love with- and my character is the guy he always used to make fun of, who has now moved on and become an adult- and he’s now dating that girl. So, the former popular kid lives across from my character and one night he sees something suspicious, a la Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window,” that leads him to believe my character murdered his mother. So, as he starts investigating this, all the clues seem to add up to my character being a murderer- which is first of all; pretty creepy, and second of all; he finds it a great way to get the girl of his dreams to break up with me and go back to him. [Laughs] So, I play the creep that lives across the street. What’s more fun than that?
WINGMAN: Right! The movie is pitched as “‘Rear Window’ for stoners.” Was that part of the tone that you tried to keep going during filming?
KARTHEISER: The director was definitely inspired there, and we mentioned it a few times, but Adam Pally and Rachel Bloom are so great at what they do, so as much as it did pay homage to that mystery, there are really plenty of moments that are just about how hilarious these two people can be.
WINGMAN: Yes, you’re definitely surrounded by good talent here- Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, Julia Goldani Telles, Billy Eichner, Constance Shulman. Talk about your great cast.
KARTHEISER: It was amazing. I really don’t do a lot of straight comedy, so it was a wonderful experience for me to sit and watch these pros go at. Most of my scenes are really between Rachel and Adam, and unfortunately I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to watch the rest of the geniuses work, but, it was really great. I learned about comedy. I don’t know if I’m ready to dive into that pool quite yet, but it was a really fun set. Everyone was very lighthearted and collaborative.
WINGMAN: You are very funny though and bring a lot of humor into everything you do. You brought tons of humor into “Mad Men.” After being known for a lot of drama, it must be refreshing and fun to do such a fun comedy?
KARTHEISER: I think being the guy who has to drive a comedy it takes a lot to understand the story and the mathematics of comedy, and I think when it comes to something like that I don’t know if I’d be as equipped as people who have been classically trained at places like The Groundlings and have spent their life doing stand-up. But, that being said- it’s acting, and it’s all in the same field. Like you said- I did get to do a lot of comedy on “Mad Men,” as well as other projects with touches of comedy, and I’d like to think I’m not a complete novice when it comes to that genre. But, I’d like to think I’m like a lot of other actors that really don’t seek out a genre- there are a very small percentage of actors that get to a point in their career where they can make those choices; Jim Carrey for one can say; “I’m sick of playing goofballs, I want to do something serious.” But, for most of us it’s more like; “Hey, this is a good project, these are good people, it seems like it will be fun, it seems like something I can contribute to…,” or whatever other variable matters at that moment. But, I don’t make the decision based on genre- it’s really more about the creators. In this case, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand presented a unique voice and when I met with them I found them to be awesome human beings. There is something to be said about directors and writers that are open to ideas and they don’t expect you to just stand there and deliver, and plus, the cast associated with the project was great- that moves me more than the genre or some plotted out career path or strategy.
WINGMAN: You were recently in “My Friend Dahmer” with two people we’ve featured before; Alex Wolff and Anne Heche! Talk about that film.
KARTHEISER: I loved that film. I really loved that group of people too. That was almost two years ago now, and I didn’t get to work much on it, but working with those amazing young people was very thrilling. The script was really interesting, and I remember that time- this was before 24 hour news, and that just dominated the mid-west news cycle. Everyone knew about Dahmer, and everyone was kind of engrossed in the story. So, when I got that script it was really intriguing to me. Then, when I got to Ohio, I met all these young men who were from 17-21 years old and I was so blown away by how inspired, talented, and quick they were. The young man who was playing Dahmer; Ross Lynch? He was transcendent in that role! He completely embraced the character. He was really very method- not fully in character, but very subdued and not really himself while on set. He never had to make a big jump when the cameras rolled. Alex Wolff was incredible- he was constantly shooting ideas at me and the director. He was very sharp and so understanding of the dramaturgy of what we were doing. As an older actor, I was just so inspired- I left that set wanting to be a way better actor. They were so amazing and I just can’t wait to see what all of those young men do.
WINGMAN: And you have two projects on the way, “Das Boot,“ and another by Danny Strong and David Elliot. What can fans look out for?
KARTHEISER: “Das Boot” is a European production for the Sky Network- I’m not quite sure where it will be released in America yet, but I’m pretty sure it will be. It’s about the French resistance that’s happening during WWII after Germany went in and basically took over France. Most people fell in line with what Germany had told them to do, except for some men and women who were part of a resistance that were fighting back. That’s part of the story, and the other part of the story takes place on a submarine on a U-boat that’s out at sea- and this was during a time that U-boats were getting sunk quite regularly. It was quite a harrowing time to be on a U-boat, and the story takes place between those two locations. I’m very proud of it- we worked with a lot of German’s on the project and we had an Austrian director; Andreas Prochaska, and once again I was really blown away by the talent by the young people on the set. We were in this tiny little submarine, and there were forty actors and fifty members of the crew, and it was really intense- you could really tell that everyone was very excited. It’s ten episodes, and I have no idea when it comes out, but hopefully in the fall. The other show is by Danny Strong and David Elliot- it’s a pilot I just completed for Fox, and I can’t say too much about it yet, but if it gets picked up then let’s do this again and I’ll tell you all about it!
WINGMAN: Of course, fans love you from “Mad Men.” You should have won the Emmy just for shaving your hairline alone! That is dedication that no actor can deny. When you first heard you were going to have to do that, what were your thoughts?
KARTHEISER: It was my idea! [Chuckles] I pitched it in season two. There was a line in the pilot where Don Draper says to Pete; “If you keep acting the way you’re acting you’re going to end up in a corner office with no friends and even less hair because no one will like you,” or something to that effect. So, I went to Matthew [Weiner] and another producer, and I mentioned; “Wouldn’t it be cool if we shaved my hairline back to really pronounce the emasculation of this guy?” And then it kind of came back around and they decided to do it. I don’t know if they forgot that I offered up the idea and came to it on their own, but- I take credit for it! [Snickers]
WINGMAN: It really was brilliant because it went along perfectly with the character and it was so harrowing. For any man that has gone through that- it just really added so much to the show.
KARTHEISER: That’s the thing I’m really having fun with at this point in my career- the acting part is fun, but the true joy is coming up with ideas that aids the process. But, I will say this- I really appreciate you saying that, and my hair people did win an Emmy [Valerie Jackson, Arturo Rojas, Theraesa Rivers, and Ai Nakata], so, in a way, the hairline got the Emmy! So, you’re kind of right! [Laughs] I have friends of mine who were balding at the time who were like; “Don’t do it, man! What if it doesn’t come back!” And it really didn’t come back fully, the hairline that came back wasn’t the same as it last was, but luckily for me I’m married so I don’t give a shit.
WINGMAN: And, both you and your amazingly talented wife, Alexis Bledel, have both gotten the opportunity to act alongside the wonderful Elizabeth Moss. Are you a huge fan of “The Handmaid’s Tale”?
KARTHEISER: Yes, I’m a huge fan of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I haven’t gotten a chance to see the second season, but I’m so psyched to get into it once I have a free minute. I hear it’s amazing and even better than the first- which is kind of hard to believe, but I hear it’s game-changing, so, I’m super-psyched!
WINGMAN: People might not know this about you but you have been acting a very long time. You were in one of the greatest movies of all time as a mere child; “Untamed Heart.” Settle an argument; is “Untamed Heart” a Christmas movie?
KARTHEISER: [Laughs] You like “Untamed Heart”! Bless your heart, that was my first movie ever! That was actually based off a real life procedure, and two months before the movie came out the guy who had the procedure died, so, they changed the name from “Baboon Heart” to “Untamed Heart” because they were worried about it being insensitive. But, as far as it being a Christmas movie? Well, so, okay, look- it has all the elements of Christmas- right? It has hope, love, winter in Minnesota with the snow…
WINGMAN: It has, like, CHRISTMAS…
KARTHEISER: [Laughs] Right! Then, I guess we have to go with it being a Christmas movie!
WINGMAN: You’ve acted alongside some of the best actors out there, and you’ve been on one of television’s most iconic shows. What else would you love to do and who else would you love to work with?
KARTHEISER: I want to work with everyone. Like “My Friend Dahmer,” I went into that thinking- “Wow, a bunch of eighteen and nineteen year old actors. What will this be like?” And I was so pleasantly surprised. Sometimes it’s really nice to work with people where you don’t know there work as opposed to people you idolize. I got the opportunity to work with Donald Sutherland last year- we had two weeks in a room together acting, and I have to say that Donald was probably my favorite of all the guys I ever got to work with- one of my favorite actors, and he really lived up to the hype. He’s so iconic and I’ve grown up watching him. I’ve worked with a lot of those guys and had great blessings, but Donald was really all that and more. That’s always nice, but lots of times I almost don’t want to work with those people because I’d like to leave it in a special place where I don’t turn them into regular blokes, I just keep them as what they were in my youth; these larger than life figures. I don’t like to plot my career too much, I like to take things as it comes when it comes to characters, but, I’d love to do more TV. TV offers an actor to portray a character over a long period of time and offers storytellers to tell a more in depth story, really fine-tuning the details that they want to. I like that.
And we love the idea of Kartheiser back on our TV’s every week since we’ve been going through “Mad Men” withdrawal! But, for now, we will gladly settle for a good movie like “Most Likely To Murder” any day!
“MOST LIKELY TO MURDER” is available On Digital, DVD & On Demand now as of May 1st.
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Trailer: https://youtu.be/99uEP6gcbP4
Mike McCarthy