If there’s one thing that the internet picked up on early in regards to Mad Men‘s Pete Campbell, it’s that he has an exceedingly punchable face. Thus, sites like Pete Campbell’s Bitchface exist, gloriously.
This has not gone unnoticed by Vincent Kartheiser, the actor who plays Pete on the show. Kartheiser told Vulture this morning in an interview that he was aware of the punchability of his face from a very young age.
I’ve been hearing that my whole life. I just have one of those faces you just wanna rip to pieces. I don’t know if I’m proud, but I think it’s a testament to the writing over the last five years that they’ve built animosity in our audiences towards a character that has done some pretty despicable things and, at the same time, who has lived a life in a perfectly moral way. I think most people who are throwing those stones should take a look at their own life.
Wait, is Vincent Kartheiser trying to say that our Pete Campbell hate is a byproduct of our own self-loathing? Oh no, you will not mind-f*ck us like we’re Joan Holloway, buddy!
Additionally, Kartheiser told Vulture that Mad Men showrunner Matt Weiner asked him to put on weight and shave his hairline back, so those of you who were obsessed with Pete’s evolving hairline were on to something.
Did you gain weight to play Pete or did you lose it for a different role?At the beginning of the season, Matt said I was gonna have my hair shaved back and he said, you know, “Would you mind putting on some weight?” And I said, “Absolutely not.” And I just started eating like a pig.
He asked you to change your hair?
Yeah, I shaved my hairline back this season.
I was wondering about that. It looked different.
Yeah! Especially that last episode, they were really prominently displaying my bald spot.
All in an effort to make Pete’s face even MORE punchable, no doubt!
(Pic via Pete Campbell’s Bitch Face)