Get your own Free Home PageThis article is from the December 1996 issue of BB.
It's true that fans may not be pointing out the actor on the streets of his hometown of Minneapolis, but that's probably because most folks don't head to Minnesota to do any star-spotting. "I am not really in the public eye at all," he concedes. But the self-deprecating star has another rationale for his anonymity. "It comes down to the simple fact that if people do recognize me, then they don't want to meet me," he reasons. "I don't have any fans."
This is where dear Vinnie is mistaken. It just so happens that when we talked to him this summer, just prior to Alaska's release, the fan mail hadn't yet caught up with him. In fact, Boppers have been pleading with BB and BOP for more info on the rising star since the 1995 release of The Indian In The Cupboard. But whatever the reason for Vinnie's relative obscurity ( so far ), he's reveled in the opportunity to be, well, just Vinnie. In other words, he could pretty much just walk into a teen-crowded mall in broad daylight--which probably wouldn't interest him anyway, but you get the idea. "No one really knows who I am," he tells BB, "and, you know, that is good with me."
In fact, he adds, "If I could live my life [unnoticed], I would probably be a much happier person." It would be the kind of fame-free lifestyle that is, not suprisingly, much like those of his acting heroes. "If I want to do movies and I want to be an actor, I am not going to say, 'I don't want to do that,' just because someone might recognize me. Now, if I could do both," he gushes, "if I could be a, you know, Kevin Spacey before The Usual Suspects or someone like Gary Oldman before The Scarlet Letter, you know, if I could be like that, that would be my dream come true."
In short, Vinnie is hungry to act, not hungry for attention. But, whatever the case, he's not going to let the inconvenience of celebrity interrupt his carreer. "I am not going to let something stupid like fame get in the way of my dream," he vows. And, if the glaring spotlight of celebrity did shine in his direction, Vinnie wouldn't think of it in a "oh-cool-babe-scoring-opportunity" way. Actually, his response would be quite the opposite. "I actually had this idea," he reveals, "if I ever do become a star, to pick up women I am going to put on a huge fat suit and put on these really thick glasses and, like, put zits on myself and go out and the first woman who takes interest in me will be my date. Pretty cool, huh?"
You see, as far as Vinnie is concerned, it is really the inner beauty--or inner talent--that counts. "You know," he says, "people get into this industry who are actors and actresses who go out for one audition and the guy says, 'Well, you know, you're going to have to go to Jenny Craig ( the weight loss center ).' No, you don't. You don't have to be a sex symbol. You don't have to be anything like that. I'm not."
If after this lesson in idolatry you're still convinced you're a Vinnie Kartheiser fan ( enjoying a little inner talent, perhaps? ), he wants you to act on it--in his own Vinnie-like way, of course. "Okay, this is kind of long, but I do want this in there," Vinnie told BB's Cathee during their most recent interview, before launching into this message to his fans: "You should not look up to me. You should not respect me. You should not want to be me. You should not try to meet me. I am the kid you make fun of at your school. Until you can walk up to that kid, until you can smile at him, shake his hand and give him a hug...do not idolize me."
In short, Vinnie requests of BB, "Tell these girls if they call up asking about me, just tell them that Vinnie is a big nerd and they should know that. I mean, if they were to meet me, they would understand." Yet, later in our conversation, Vinnie makes this observation: "Nerds are pretty cool people." Exactly, Vinnie, exactly.
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