24 West End Compass | theshopsatwestend.com

Mad ManMinnesota native Vincent Kartheiser of Mad Men stops by � e Shops at West EndStory by Sarah Howard | Photography by Travis Anderson

minnesota-made

25theshopsatwestend.com | West End Compass

"When it

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WWWalking into MINQ boutique, behind sunglasses, a beard and shaggy hair, a laid-back Vincent Kartheiser is a far cry from Pete Campbell, the slick advertising account executive character he’s played on AMC’s Mad Men since 2007.

West End Compass magazine caught up with the Apple Valley native at the West End on a sunny Monday morning when he had the day off from rehearsals for the Guthrie Th eater’s upcoming Pride & Prejudice, in which he’ll play the aloof Mr. Darcy.

He’s back to his old stomping grounds through the summer with an apartment in the Warehouse District. Th e production runs through Aug. 31 and will be directed by Guthrie artistic director Joe Dowling. “Th e Guthrie is exactly where I want to be,” Kartheiser said.

About two weeks into rehearsals, the show was very much still in fl ux and days before our shoot it had been announced that University of Minnesota alumna Ashley Rose Montondo would be playing the featured role of Elizabeth Bennet opposite Kartheiser. “We’re still very much making changes to the show,” he says, adding that the beauty of the stage is that things can “adapt as the show goes on.”

And at his fi tting at MINQ boutique it becomes clear that Kartheiser truly is quick to adapt. While trying on a pinstriped scott james suit, he opts to wear his own brown wingtips and adds a belt to the ensemble.

While fi lming Mad Men in Los Angeles, he often spends 16-hour days, fi ve days a week dressed as Manhattan-bred Pete Campbell. You could say he knows his way around a suit. “I know when something fi ts,” he says, adding that Tommy Hilfi ger is the best brand for his cut, but he also likes suits by Boss and Brooks Brothers.

His casual look from MINQ includes a suede suit jacket by Moods of Norway and salmon colored pants by scott james, which

Hair: Shannon Schoettler, assistance by Tori Moffi t,

Roosters Men’s Grooming Center

Makeup: Kate Plec, phresh spa salon

Styling: Stacy Finnegan, MINQ

Suit: scott james, MINQ

Creative Direction: Todd Pernsteiner and Jen Birr,

Pernsteiner Creative Group

Location: Cooper Pub & Restaurant

26 West End Compass | theshopsatwestend.com

he calls “hot pants” and took home from the shoot. Kartheiser says the outfit is an upgrade from what he considers casual, saying that he spends time off-set in jeans and a T-shirt.

After fittings at MINQ, the next stop is a haircut and shave at Roosters. He’s mid-rehearsal for a period piece, so he can’t take off much hair, but the muttonchops he showed up with can go.

Manager Shannon Schoettler quickly discovers his strange hairline of short, buzzed hair. Kartheiser reveals that his character’s receding hairline — that has become so notorious it sparked a season-by-season slideshow on Vulture — is fake. “It was my idea,” Kartheiser says of Campbell’s balding. “I’m less recognizable in person this way.” Voluntary hair loss is not something most men would be excited about. But the self-deprecating Kartheiser seems unbothered. “I’m not worried about it. [Hair loss] hasn’t happened to me yet, but I’m sure it will. It runs in my family,” he said. “I’m getting married, so it doesn’t matter,” he says with a laugh. “There are bigger parts about you that you can’t change, like your personality.”

Kartheiser played coy and kept mum about his upcoming nuptials to Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls fame, but did hint that the wedding will take place in 2014. The two met while Bledel played Kartheiser’s unstable mistress in season 5 of Mad Men, and began dating after filming.

“Vincent called me and said ‘I met her and she is the one,” and my heart lept for joy,” said his mother Janet. She calls Bledel unassuming, kind, gentle and a delight. “Companionship is a wonderful thing.”

While he won’t give up the dirt on wedding details, it’s easy to tell that Kartheiser is happy to be settling down. A smile comes to his face when he shares that later that day, himself, Janet and Bledel are going to visit his 90-year-old grandmother. Bledel is making cookies for the occasion, as it’ll be the first time she’s met the matriarch. “She is so comfortable around family and really enjoys it,” Janet said.

“Weddings are for family,” Kartheiser says. “When I look through old family photos, it’s always wedding photos where all of the generations are together.”

Family is important to Kartheiser. “I come home as often as I can,” he says. “Family keeps me grounded.” The youngest of six has nieces and nephews in their late teens and twenties, and Kartheiser is quick to gush about them.

“They’re all really great kids,” says the proud uncle. “It’s always a delight,” Janet says of having her son home. “It’s just wonderful.”

A true Minnesota boy, Kartheiser listens to The Current — “I love that station,” he says — and in 2012 participated in the station’s Theft of the Dial. Kartheiser’s playlist included songs from local artists Felt, a hip-hop duo that includes Slug of Minneapolis-based Atmosphere, as well as national artists like Dr. Dog and Curtis Mayfield. “I stressed out more about that than I should have,” he says of picking the perfect songs. “I had to have the right six songs. I was rearranging my playlist up until the last minute. I’m not that hip to music but I told them what I was going to play and I was kind of impressed. Even [the disc jockeys] didn’t know some of the songs.”

Kartheiser grew up on the stage — what he calls an “actor’s medium” — and starred in a number of shows at the Children’s Theatre Company, including Pippi Longstocking and Our Town. His debut at the Guthrie came at age seven when he appeared in A Christmas Carol as Tiny Tim. His upcoming performance will be the first at the new Guthrie, which was rebuilt and moved to the riverfront in 2006. “The way the stage is built, you really can see the expressions on people’s faces,” he says.

“When it comes to stage acting, there are different things to be aware of [than TV or

film],” he says. “It’s a relationship between you and the audience. Every night is a unique conversation that you’re having with a whole new group of people.”

Janet was determined that each of her children would partake in some kind of art form as they grew up. Some chose orchestra or ballet. Vincent chose theater. “Once he became involved in acting, that’s what he wanted to do,” she says. “It was just natural for him. He never saw acting as work.”

Kartheiser moved to Los Angeles at the age of 14 and quickly landed roles in such 1990s hits as Little Big League, The Indian in the Cupboard and Alaska. After a string of independent films, he dove into television, starring in Angel as Connor until 2004 and landed the role of sad and pompous Pete Campbell in 2007. “I can’t even tell you how much fun I have playing this character,” he told The New York Times. “His character is constantly taking on new dimensions,” said Janet. “He’s so unpredictable and colorful, you never know what’s going to happen next.”

Mad Men won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for its first four seasons. “Nobody knew what Mad Men was going to be,” said Janet, who gathers every Sunday to watch the series with family. “It wasn’t until it aired and we started to realize the public’s reaction to this very interesting series that we became more and more excited that Vincent had landed a winner.”

The show famously went through contract disputes after season 4 in 2011, but returned in spring 2012 for season 5 and spring 2013 for season 6. Next year, season 7 will be the show’s last. What’s to come for Kartheiser when the show is off the air? He has a few projects in the works but wouldn’t go into much detail. He’s continued to land film roles throughout Mad Men, including In Time and voiceover work in the animated film Rango.

For now, Kartheiser is enjoying the success of Mad Men and his opportunities to get back to the stage as often as possible, saying he tries to do a show during every off-season. “I like to go back to where it started and refresh myself,” he says. “The stage gives you the most opportunity to create and edit your character every night with pure expression.”

Kartheiser is quick to compliment the stage skills of his Mad Men costars, calling John Slattery, who plays Roger Sterling, a “stage monster” and saying that he hopes to get out to New York to see Rich Sommer, who grew

"Weddings are

for family. When i look

through old

family photos, it’s alWays

Wedding

photos Where

all of the

generations

are together.”

27theshopsatwestend.com | West End Compass

Dress the part...free!You too could dress like a Minnesota-Made Mad Man! Enter in-store at MINQ to win this fantastic scott james suit (retailing at $690) worn by Vincent. MINQ, located next to lululemon, is open 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday. Must enter at the store to win but no purchase required. Drawing will be held Sept. 28, 2013 during the MINQ scott james “Meet The Designer” event.

28 West End Compass | theshopsatwestend.com

up in Stillwater and plays Harry Crane, in The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Drunin.

Kartheiser’s siblings still live in the south metro, so when he’s home, he says he mostly ends up at family-friendly joints in the suburbs, places his family wants to go. But in the city, he claims he’s “always trying new places.”

When asked about his favorite places to visit while in town, his level of celebrity shines

through. “If I told you that, I couldn’t go there!” says Kartheiser, who is often swarmed by Mad Men viewers for pictures. “I have to be aware of the types of places our fans go and avoid those,” he says, recalling a recent incident at the Marvel Bar in Minneapolis in which Bledel and himself were practically mobbed.

This is the case most places Kartheiser goes, recalling a recent trip he and Bledel took to

Hawaii when paparazzi found them within a day. “We left the beach as soon as we saw them,” he says of photographers.

But Kartheiser knows the benefits of his stardom. He gets that media and publicity is the name of the game. “It’s part of my job. I know I have an obligation,” Kartheiser says of press attention.

“There are tons of great actors in Minneapolis, probably several who are much more appropriate to play Mr. Darcy,” he said. “I’m realistic about the fact that one of the reasons that I’ve come in to do this show and the Guthrie is interested is because [the celebrity] does bring a certain amount of attention. Although Jane Austen brings the most amount of attention, and rightfully so. People love her work.”

This role marks the first time Kartheiser is playing a character that is familiar to the audience. “It’s an interesting expectation that lays on my head,” he told the Associated Press in May when his casting was announced.

And while shooting at Cooper, Kartheiser’s desire to entertain shines through with sporadic whistling, singing, dancing and teasing. A natural in front of the camera, his claim that people hate his face catches the crew off guard. “I just have one of those faces,” he says. “People don’t trust me.” So maybe, after all, he does have something in common with Campbell.

"i just

have one

of those

faces, people

don’t

trust me.”

29theshopsatwestend.com | West End Compass

Suede jacket: scott jamesTshirt: Velvet MenTrousers: scott jamesAll from MINQ