Vincent Kartheiser
On “Mad Men,” Vincent Kartheiser’s Pete Campbell can be ruthlessly ambitious, striving to advance no matter the cost. In real life though, the friendly, down-to-earth Kartheiser — who recently played another ambitious role, that of the man who controls the world’s time in the sci-fi action film “In Time” — seems quite different. He spoke to us about his surprising career to date.
Photo by PR Photos
Before you broke into films, how did you make a living?
I’ve always been a working actor. I started working when I was 6 years old. When I was 9, I did 65 radio commercials. I made a lot of money that year. I’ve been very blessed in my career. I left school when I was 14 years old and focused on my career, and I’ve never had another job.
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Vincent Kartheiser
On “Mad Men,” Vincent Kartheiser’s Pete Campbell can be ruthlessly ambitious, striving to advance no matter the cost. In real life though, the friendly, down-to-earth Kartheiser — who recently played another ambitious role, that of the man who controls the world’s time in the sci-fi action film “In Time” — seems quite different. He spoke to us about his surprising career to date.Photo by PR Photos
So you’ve always done well?
It ebbs and flows. That’s the thing with our career. When I was 9, I made $65,000, and then I didn’t make that kind of money again until I was 14 or so. But I did a film when I was 16, and that was my first year making what I consider to be a lot of money. I went out and bought a pair of Gucci shoes or something, and I never wore them. But I would also go for years without working, run out of money, then get a job and have a little bit of money.
Over the last 25 years or so that I’ve been acting, that instilled in me this idea that this is gonna end. “Mad Men” is going to be over at some point and my career will slow down, and I have to be prepared. So I have to be a little bit financially conservative when it comes to certain things. I drive a Volkswagen Golf, and I live in a very, very small house. I try to keep it pretty simple.
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Vincent Kartheiser
On “Mad Men,” Vincent Kartheiser’s Pete Campbell can be ruthlessly ambitious, striving to advance no matter the cost. In real life though, the friendly, down-to-earth Kartheiser — who recently played another ambitious role, that of the man who controls the world’s time in the sci-fi action film “In Time” — seems quite different. He spoke to us about his surprising career to date.Photo by PR Photos
Have you ever bought yourself something really extravagant?
In my adult life, I’ve become much more conservative. As a teen, I felt like, “Oh, I’ll make this money forever.” Now I know that won’t happen. So what I like to do with my money is I travel once in a while. I also redesigned my house, which was pretty expensive, but worth it.
Lots of us get totally obsessed with redesigning our houses, which is another form of art. That was a great investment. I don’t know if I’d call it too fancy, though. It’s kind of a living expense.
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Vincent Kartheiser
On “Mad Men,” Vincent Kartheiser’s Pete Campbell can be ruthlessly ambitious, striving to advance no matter the cost. In real life though, the friendly, down-to-earth Kartheiser — who recently played another ambitious role, that of the man who controls the world’s time in the sci-fi action film “In Time” — seems quite different. He spoke to us about his surprising career to date.Photo by PR Photos
What did you do to the house?
I basically tore out all the walls and made it kind of a loft studio. On the outside it’s a wooden cabin, but it’s a loft inside. The theme is Japanese industrial. Part of my house is now a light box. When I turn the lights on behind it, it’s steel and see-through plastic. It’s like a huge lamp that covers part of my house. Then I did other funny little things, like, my bed goes up in the air, and there’s light underneath it. I also re-did the garden.
