Learning to Mastermind His Life

Toronto Sun

Teen actor Vincent Kartheiser isn't sure what he wants to do yet
By: Bob Thompson

HOLLYWOOD-- As if Vincent Kartheiser hasn't heard this one in the last month. He rolls his eyes just like an impatient 18-year old should when he's asked the Bruce Willis question. He doesn't look like Willis. But Kartheiser does star in Masterminds, which has him in a Die Hard Jr. type role where his teenaged self tries to undermine a villain (Patrick Stewart), and his fiendish takeover plot. " So yeah, what's it like to play Bruce Willis?" says Kartheiser, mocking the query he's heard too many times before.
"It's not like anything, except playing in an action movie is like when you are young and playing guns, but you do it in front of the camera."
Playing guns might seem like an immature acting reference, but the Minneapolis native is far from being rated an innocent or a rookie actor. He started playing other characters when he was seven, working with local theatre groups, and doing some local TV modeling. At 14 he went to L.A. audition's that landed him brief appearances in Untamed Heart, Little Big League and Indian In The Cupboard; then a few years later he scored big time as one of the leads in the adventure yearn Alaska, released last year.Masterminds was another feature in his acting cap, and he just finished up a small role in the Toronto- based production of the Hairy Bird. [we all know its now called Strike]
He expects more movie parts to come., "But I don't want to say what they are just in case I jinx them." In the meantime, he still lives in Minneapolis, and will finish high school-- " I'm the kid who sits in the corner and doesn't get in the teacher's face" -- but he's also available for acting assignments, " Because you have to keep it moving or the ball will fall."
Next year, he has tentative plans to attend UCLA film school, and maybe do some acting on the side, " and make some spending money-- like why not, eh?"
He sounds casual, but he's not fooling himself about the erratic lifestyle of a Hollywood actor either. " I'm giving it a shot," he says. " But I understand it's all about the right time, right place, right face.
" It really is 80% luck, and 2% talent, and the rest is good fortune.
What Kartheiser is 100% sure of is that the movie industry is a very unsettled place. " Sometimes I feel like they want me to be like a 12- year old, sometimes they want me to be 40." Maybe college will help him find a happy age compromise, so he can deal with the movie industry and map out a plan for his future. Like where does he want his career to be in 10 years? "That's a hypothetical," Kartheiser suggests, " which is a very dangerous thing."
Besides, " I don't know what I want to do when I grow up, let alone stay an actor."

Thank you again Sophia!!!!