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Vincent Kartheiser -- all for show |
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Written by Krisalis (Administrator)
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Thursday, 09 August 2007 |
Minnesota's Vincent Kartheiser plays a natty 1960s ad exec on the new cable-TV series "Mad Men," but his personal style is decidely more laid-back.
By Neal Justin, Star Tribune
Date: July 25, 2007 – 5:50 PM
Thanks to: StarTribune
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. - In the oh-so-elegant new series "Mad Men," Minnesota native Vincent Kartheiser plays Pete Campbell, a dapper advertising executive in 1960 New York who's on the cutting edge of fashion.
It is, he insists, pure acting.
Sitting at a cafe in a Neiman Marcus store on Rodeo Drive, where $3,000 sport coats are considered a bargain, he's dressed in a 13-year-old green shirt with ripped pockets. One of his shoes is tied with a makeshift lace; he can't be bothered to buy new ones. His Twins baseball cap is borrowed from a roommate.
"I care about fashion. I'm just really bad at it," he said. "Plus, I have no money. Being broke and having bad taste is not a good combination."
The financial picture might be getting better if the ratings for "Mad Men" match the show's ecstatic reviews. Created by Matthew Weiner, who wrote many episodes of "The Sopranos" including the penultimate one, "The Blue Comet," it's a highly stylistic series in terms of dialogue, atmosphere and, of course, wardrobe.
The characters of "Mad Men" exist in a time when the establishment considered Richard Nixon a sex symbol, poured cocktails in the middle of the afternoon, treated secretaries like call girls and filled even the tightest quarters with cigarette smoke.
Costume designer Katherine Jane Bryant, whose role is as pivotal as any of the actors, has dressed most of the cast in brown and black suits, skinny ties and waist-choking dresses.
Campbell, on the other hand, represents the next generation, one inspired by JFK and Elvis rather than Bogie and Bacall. He's drawn to blue tones, doesn't wear a hat, doesn't smoke and sports a wedding ring, a rarity in those days. His choice of shoes is daring: Italian loafers.
"He's young and his clothes are going to reflect that," Bryant said. "He's going to be on the cutting edge of the period."
Kartheiser insists in real life, he's quite the opposite.
"Whatever the fashion is about to be, I'm the fashion before it," he said, tucking away a beat-up book of crossword puzzles. "It's pathetic. Like in 2001, I started wearing flannel. Seriously."
Getting the opportunity to wear high-end suits every day on the set is just one of the reasons the 28-year-old actor is reveling in his latest role, the best in a career that started in Minneapolis theater (he played Tiny Tim in the Guthrie's "Christmas Carol") and included a recurring role on "Angel."
He clearly misses Minnesota. He routinely spends July 4th camping with relatives at Lake Pepin, celebrates Thanksgiving at Lutsen and keeps track of Twins baseball games online. He's working on a "three-year plan" to make the Twin Cities his home base.
For now, though, he's a Hollywood player and occasionally has to dress the part. His home wardrobe includes a bit of couture -- a Hugo Boss trench coat and a Versace sport jacket.
"But they don't match anything else I own," he said.
It's hard to know how seriously to take Kartheiser as he's constantly cracking outrageous jokes. The clothes on display are merely props for one comedy routine after another. Add the twinkling eyes and his manic energy, and you have a junior Martin Short.
It's clear he knows more about fashion then he's letting on (or his early-morning phone call to costumer Bryant in preparation for the interview went extremely well). He talks eloquently about how European designs fit his slender body better than their American counterparts. He's quite familiar with Gucci and Prada. And then, just before bouncing to his car, he reveals one last anecdote which proves that when it comes to fashion, there's more to him than meets the eye.
"When I was in eighth grade, I decided I would dress as a girl for Halloween," he said. "No one recognized me. In fact, I got asked to the homecoming dance."
With that, Kartheiser was off, his tattered shirttails following close behind.
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