‘Mad Men’: Vincent Kartheiser

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Vincent Kartheiser, 28, is a total clown and a deep thinker, often in the same minute. During our chat, the Minnesota native who’s lived in Hollywood for the last 10 years constantly told ridiculous fibs involving a secret affair with Mel Gibson (wait till Us magazine reads that!), Justin Timberlake rocking it at clubs with a peg leg (don’t ask) and showing up to the “Mad Men” auditions in drag (nope, more like a suit). I can’t print most of the funny stuff, but what Kartheiser shared about his character, the sometimes smarmy, sometimes sweet, sometimes vicious accounts manager Pete Campbell, is far more valuable anyway.

[Q&A after the jump]

How do you explain Pete Campbell to people?

It’s like apologizing for a touchy cousin. He’s got something to prove. He’s unaware sometimes and he speaks before he thinks. Generally he’s right, but it’s not always about being right at Sterling Cooper, it’s about following the chain of command. I think he’s a very modern man.

What do you mean by modern man?

He’s more of what a man has become. He’s emasculated, desperate and insecure. He represents the modern male more than the Humphrey Bogart type who never cries and who fought in WWII.

How do you make Pete likable?

I just play it according to his motivations in that unique moment. I don’t think people have much sympathy for Pete, but in real life, we are all bastards sometimes. Maybe you aren’t around fellow workers, but you might be on the road to the next car. I think Pete Campbell makes people look at themselves.

What’s been your favorite scene?

I love playing him when he gets insecure or his power is being tested. I like the advertising scenes. I love the energy of the office. I like the scenes with Jon Hamm and John Slattery because they are so much fun on set.

What’s your take on Peggy and Pete’s relationship?

All relationships teeter back and forth on who has the power, but when there’s such a socially obvious difference right from the start, it’s really hard. How do you have a relationship with someone who looks up to you or admires you? Immediately it’s all Pete’s fault. If Pete has sex with Peggy and he never calls her again, it’s all on him to instigate it or end it. It’s a lot of pressure for him. He’s interested in her, but he’s also married, so he feels shame and guilt. It speaks about the male mind in any generation. When we do something dishonest, like cheat on our wives, we don’t totally understand why we did it, so we don’t feel in control. You feel ashamed, but at the same time you feel like you conquered something.

Do you and Elisabeth [Moss, who plays Peggy] try to figure out the relationship together?

Matt Weiner is on set a lot. Sometimes he’ll come over and say, ‘It’s absolutely wrong. What are you thinking, Vinnie?’ And usually she’ll say something like ‘I told you so,’ but she’ll whisper it. [He laughs.] We don’t try to do too much preplanning. We just jump right in. Elisabeth is an amazingly instinctual actress. She can snap right into Peggy when you hand her a piece of paper.

I notice you wear a lot of blue. Why’s that?

They’re trying as hard as they can to bring as many moments of good looks to my character as possible. But it’s hard standing next to the very illustriously handsome Jon Hamm. There’s only so much a guy can do.

--Margaret Wappler

(Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Bryan Batt (left) and Vincent Kartheiser at the show’s wrap party in August.)