Pete Campbell has had a stressful sixth season on Mad Men. Having been banned from his own home (and the 50 miles surrounding it) by his wife after a Don Draper–ian fling gone wrong, he was saddled with his stubborn, Alzheimer’s-riddled mother; outsmarted by a mysterious co-worker; reliably ridiculed in the workplace; and, in Sunday’s finale, told that his mother was probably dead after being tossed overboard during a Roaring 20s cruise-ship party— shortly after marrying her gay former male nurse who will likely inherit the little that is left of the Campbell-family fortune. All that Pete could really do in response was ratchet up his trademark annoyance, smarm, and condescension—a decision that would backfire on him, along with a stickshift Chevy, in one humiliating standoff with his in-house nemesis, Bob Benson.
To discuss his character’s development on the show and perennial struggles to prove himself as a man, we caught up with Vincent Kartheiser—now rehearsing a stage production of Pride and Prejudice in his hometown of Minneapolis—on Monday. Among the subjects covered in our phone conversation: Pete’s chemistry with Bob Benson, those suicide theories, and whether or not we should assume that Pete’s mother is really dead.
Julie Miller: Congratulations on the sixth season of Mad Men—you were incredible, and Pete really had one of the most fascinating story arcs this year. What did you do for the finale on Sunday?
Vincent Kartheiser: Thank you. I was actually rehearsing a play I’m doing, and then I went to my family’s house—I’m in Minnesota. And they had just finished watching it. They asked me some questions, and I answered them as well as I could. I still haven’t seen it yet.
What were some of their most pressing questions?
I guess they just wanted some things clarified which—I’m always in work mode. And it’s hard to tell anybody about the show because I am always worried that I’m going to drop a spoiler. They were wanting to know about next season—“Will Pete really be in California? Will this happen?” And I just said, “Guys, I have no idea! It’s up to Matt [Weiner, the show’s creator].”
What was your reaction when you read the script for the finale and you realized that Pete’s mother would fall overboard on this cruise ship after marrying her former male nurse?
You expect the unexpected from Matthew Weiner, so when it comes, you put on your shocked face, but you are always expecting something riveting.
I loved watching Peter interact with his mother this season. How much has Matthew Weiner told you about Pete’s childhood?
During the first couple seasons, he gave me a lot of backstory, and from what Matthew’s told me, I understand that it was not a house full of love. [Pete] was raised primarily by people who took care of the house—I don’t know if you would call them nannies or maids. But someone who had a job like that and could fulfill both of those occupations in one. His parents were probably traveling and socializing a lot. It was a very cold upbringing for him. In, I think it was Season Two or Season Three, Pete has a piece of dialogue where he says, “I hate my mother”—so there has [been] some backstory on the show, some of it that I actually lived. Not from my own experience, of course, but by being Pete Campbell.
Is it safe for viewers to assume that Pete’s mother is dead?
Oh no! See, these are the kinds of shocking twists that we must prepare ourselves for. We do not know. There is no body. Nothing has washed onshore. But I think that Pete believes that she is dead. You would think they would have done a really good search on the cruise ship, so unless there was some devious plot that she was working on, for some reason, I would assume that they are waiting to find the body. But I really don’t know. We’ll have to see what’s to come.
You have such great chemistry with James Wolk, who plays Bob Benson, and it has made for one of the most interesting relationships this season. Knowing how important that chemistry was, especially considering the mystery of Bob Benson, did Matthew Weiner bring you in to read with James when they were auditioning the character to see how you would play off each other?
No, I didn’t have to. I’m not really involved in those kinds of decisions or the process of casting at all. That’s really the director, the writer, associate producers. I can’t really speak about that process, but I thought he was a wonderful, great actor. He brought a lot of mystery to the show, and it was a lot of fun to work with him.
Bob Benson and Pete Campbell arguing in the elevator during the sixth season finale., By Jamie Trueblood/AMC.
