Vinnie's Adventures In Alaska

"He didn't really do his own stunts, did he?"  If you saw Vinnie Kartheiser's action-packed adventure Alaska in movie theaters last summer, the chances are that you asked yourself this question.  The answer: Vinnie tells BOP, is yes.
    Yet before Vinnie and his on-screen sister, Thora Birch, started doing thie own stunts, they went though four weeks of intense training sessions with the movie's sports consultants.  They spent those weeks climbing rocks, jumping off mountains, white water rafting and canoeing. "We went to the set a month ahead of time to learn how to interact with Aggie Jane [the polar bear] and learn how to backpack and rock climb and all that," Vinnie explains.
    Thos training sessions turned out to be essential for the 17-year-old actor.  "This movie is really action-packed," he points out.  "Every single day we would be working up at eleven thousand feet altitude, breathing heavily, and the crew had to have these oxygen tanks for us afterward.  SO the training was important."  Other actors might have requested a stunt double for such physically demanding scenes, but not Vinnie, who says the expereince was "a dream vacation with pay."
     However, Vinnie says a stunt double was used in one or two scenes shot in Alaska.  "I didn't go over the waterfall and I didn't canoe into the rapids," he admits, adding that it wasn't because he didn't want to do the stunts -- there simply wasn't time in the shooting schedule for him to travel to Alaska.  Yet aside Vinnie did all his stunts.  "That's really me being thrown into the white water wave.  If you look at the face of the caracter swimming in white water or hanging by one arm from a mountain, that's me!"

"I think it's healthy to hate.  I think it's extremely healthy, because without hate, you cannot see love.  Without red, there wouldn't be any green.  That's not a very good metaphor but, you know, it's the same."
 

Vinnie It's All In The Famaily (BB, 3/97)

    Although Alaska's Vinnie Kartheiser may be the first feature film star in his family, all of the Kartheisers ar "artistes" in their own right.
    Vinnie, a Minnesota native, hails form a large family with six children, many of whom are into music:  Oldest sister Elise, 26, studied concert piano at the prestigious Juillard School Of Music in New York City; sister Andrea, 23, enjoys playing the cello; and Vinnie's brother Nate, 19, is a guitar player.
    Although 17-yar-old Vinnie, himself is not a musician, he loves listening to music.  During a recent BB photoshoot, he brought along an extenisve collection of CDs to help get him in the mood, including Rage Against The Machine, Phish, Bob Marley and The Doors.  And he proved that he's a dedicated fan -- he was able to sing along with the lyrics of most of the CDs!
     But don't get too excited.  Vinnie's not about to join a rock 'n' roll band any time soon.  In fact, for his future film Smart Alec, the producers wanted to create a band around Vinnie's character, Ozzie.  He didn't go for it.
     Yes, Vinnie, like his 21-year-old sister, Collette, prefers acting.  In fact, Collette is the person we have to thank for getting Vinnie into acting in the first place.  "She was an extra for about three years on stage and then I started doing stuff, too."  Vinnie tells BB.  "Then I just got lucky at this cattle call.  The "cattle call" was for 1995's Indian In The Cupboard.  And the reat, as they say in the business, is history.
      Now, you may be wondering why all the Kartheiser kids are so into the arts to begin with.  Well, what fostered their love of art is actually more of a who: Vinnie's mom, Janet.  Though a non-traditional artist perhaps, Janet derives great artist and spirtual fullfilment through gardening.  "My mom is a gardener and she believes that she prays to God in her garden," Vinnie explains, "I think that's great and I really respect my mom for that."
     Vinnie is such a big fan of his mom's garden that he told BB staffers at a photo session in August, "That's where I would like to get married some day."  Provided the "well and if" of a wedding, of course!"
 

Why is Vinnie Crying?(BB, 4/97)

    It doesn't take much for Vinnie Kartheiser to start balling.  This 17-year ols Minnesota native, who apperas very cool -- leterally -- in his first starring role in 1996's Alaska (which is, by the way, was just realeased on video, can so more than rub noses with a polar bear and hang off a mountain.  He can cry on cue.  And you may see him shedding a few tears in his future film Smart Alec, in which, he says, he may do a few scenes with "raw emotion."
    Crying on cue is one of the many acting techniques Vinnie has been polishing since he was 7 years old, when he snagged his first role as Tiny Tim in a hometown production of A Chistmas Carol.  He then took his tears on the road, touring nationally with the Children's Theater in Minneapolis.  After 10 years of practice, he can now do it in a heartbeat.
    "I could start crying right now," he tells BB.  "I could bring the tears and break down for you."  Woah!  Hold on blue eyes! Do you really want to expereince this?  (Short pause).  "I am crying now," he says.  Just like that a river without a warning.
    But how can Vinnie cry so easily?  "That's eays,' he explains,"That's technical.  When you want to feel it, that's different."  Vinnie has found that it takes years to develope skills and sensitivity of a great actor.  He believes it takes more skill to act with the heart than it does to shed a few tears.  "If you can't act with your heart, if you can only act with your eyes, and your voice. . . " he continues, without finishing his sentence with words instead, he begins to cry.

Another Vincent Kartheiser article

When it comes to school, some teen actors opt for on-the-set toutoring.  Others choose to squeeze the film and TV roles into their regular school scedules.  And still others decide to enroll in home-schooled programs.  Alaska's Vincent Kartheiser fits into the third category.  Whether he's working on a project or at home in Minnesota, Vinnie recives homework assignments, which he dultifully completes and mails back to Laurel Springs High School.  As he tells BB, he wouldn't want it any other way.
   One of the things Vinnie likes best about his school stitch is that he doesn't have to wake up at any particular time for fear of missing a dreadful first period bell.  Or, as he puts it quite simply, "I sleep until I want to be done."
   Studying at home aslso works a lot better with his schedule.  Vinnie, who's 17 admits that a couple of years back, when he was attending regular shcool, he actally failed the ninth grade.  Like most people who flunk a year, Vinnie was not able to keep up his grades.  But clearly this wasn't due to a lack of discipline or brain power on his part.  The real culprit, if you can call it that, was his acting career.
    "I was on a national tour with a theater company," explains Vinnie.  "It was kinf od hard to juggle both of them."
    Vinnie, who's now a junior, is proud to say that he re-did his ninth grade year.  And, since studying with his-homeschool program, he's been able to act his heart's content and maintain staright A's. 

Vinnie Kartheiser acrticles
 
    Vinnie Kartheiser won't turn 18 until next May 5, but when he does get that opportunity to vote, you can be sure that he's cast his support for the candidate most dedicated to imporving the school system as we know it.  "I think teachers should be recognized and smiled upon."  says Vinnie, a high school senior who's enrolled in a home-study program.  "I think the crisis of America is that we don't."

Vinnie's Hoping Life Takes a Dramatic Turn

    In the recently released-on-video Alaska, Vinnie Kartheiser spends most of his on-screen time doing stuff like climning up and down steep, snow covered mountains and riding canoes through killer white water rapids.  In his future film Smart Alec, he's a rebellious skateboard-riding student who runs from bombs, get's caught up in thrilling chase scenes and deals with a bad guy who's taken over a high school.  Yet although Vinnie says that he had a blast making both movies, especaially since each one gave him an opportunity to tackle 'a different type of action' to be quite honest, he's ready for something completely knew on the movie front.  "I've done [enough] action," Vinnie says. 'My next project I hope to be drama."
    Vinnie says that in Smart Alec, he does get to do a little emotional stuff, but it's still wasn't enough.  "There's a bit od drama, " he says.  "There are about one or two scenes of real, kind of like raw emotion, bit other than that, there's nothing."
    What Vinnie would really like, "he says, is a role where he can try his hand at high drama -- playing the kind of character who yells, screams, grudges u some truly hearfelt angst and maybe even balls his eyes out.  (FYI:  During a recent interview with BOP Vinnie demonstarted that he is quite adept to crying on cue).  "I want to do at least one really good dramatic scene with a really good director and actors," he continues.  'Now that I've gotten in movies, I haven't gotten my chance yet, but that' what my forte is really."
    How does Vinnie know that drama is his strong point  is he hasn't yet had the opportunity to prove it on the screen?  Starting from the time he was 7 years old, he's starred in dramatic stage productions throughout his whole hometown of Minnesota.  "That's what I was raised doing, " he explains.
    Although Vinnie has developed a gift for expressing serious emotions throughout the years, he feels he could stand some improving when it comes to lighter types of roles.  "I've tried it, " he says, "but comedy is not my thing."  Asked how his training is when it comes to delivering jokes, he says quiet candidly, "It's awful."

Vinnie Shares His Souvenirs

   As Vinnie tells BB, one of his all-time favorite experiences as a kid was the time, "my family and I built a fort out of ice and snow."  And while any souvenir from that day has obviously melted away (though it's entirely possible that the ice and snow have reappeared, since it is winter and the Kartheiser's do live in the shiver-including state of Minnesota), the 17-year-old actor will no doubt have the memory eched in his mind forever.
   Fortuneately, Vinnie has had other great moments in his life that do not require being left to memory.  That includes last year's Alaska (which considently, also involved dealing with a bunch of slushy, white stiff).  All he has to do is whip out a video - the movie came out in stores last month - and he's got a record of how he climbed steep mountains, swam in bone-chilling white water rapids and frolicked with a real-life polar bear named Aggie Jane.

Is Vinnie Kartheiser an only-child?

    Nope. This Minneapolis, Minnesota-born actor, who stars in the upcoming film Masterminds, has a while slew of sibs.  At 18, Vinnie is the youngest of six children of Janet and Jim Kartheiser.  Vin is very close to all of his siblings: Elisa, Theresa, Andrea, Collette, and Nathan.  In fact, they are so close that vinie's favorite childhood memory, he tells BOP, is when "my family and I built a for out of ice and snow."

    You many think that handsome Masterminds star Vincent Kartheiser has had it easy.  After all, he's 18 and has five movies on his resume! (1996's Alaska and 1995's Indian In The Cupboard, just to name a few.)  Yet Vinnie will be the first to tell you things weren't always easy.  "By the time I was 14, I had been screen tested andrejected three times," he said.  "That hurts your heart." Vinnie seriously debated on whether or not to quit altogether, but not before giving ti one more shot.  "I decided to give it all I have before getting out.  That's when I got Indian In The Cupboard."  And speaking of cuboards, what does this Minnesota-born babe like to keep in his own kitchen cupboards? "Girl Scout cookies," he replied.  "I just bought five boxes and put them in the freezer.  My family got their own boxes, so I put a big name tag on mine to keep them separate."  

Vinnie - Just A Regular Guy (BOP, 7/97)

    When Vinnie Kartheiser goes about his business in his hometown, just outside of Minnespolas, Minnesota, the actor of such movies as 1996's Alaska and the upcoming Masterminds can walk around freely and go virtually unnoticed, "I don't get recognized," he tells BOP.  "Nobody looks at me as a star.  In fact, they think that I'm just another dude."
    That's exactly how Vinnie sees himseld too -- just your everyday typical 18-year old teenager.  "I'm just a guy with two eyes, a nose, a pair of ears and a mouth, " states Vinnie.  "And that's all there is to it."
    Which is why the blue-eyed cutie gets surprised when he does get reconized while traveling to other cities.  In an exclusive conversation with BOP, Vinnie recalled the time he visited Toronto, Ontario, Canada to appear on a talk show and found himself in the midst of his own fan franzy.  "I'm in my dressing room, sitting there thinking about the show and drinking my club soda -- just being my happy self, "he recounts.  "Then I walk outside, and to my astonishment, I heard a scream so loud, my ears hurt."
     Vinnie turned to the direction of the noise only to discover a group of young girls completely excited to see him.  As flattered as he was that he'd been recognized from his movie, Vinnie was also a bit confused. "I'm just a person -- flesh and bone, " he expalins bewildered.
    Just another reason why we adore Vinnie even more: Despite his high profile, this talented actor still manages to keep himself humble.

One-On-One With Vincent Kartheiser(16, 7/97)
 
    You may have first discovered 18-year old Vincnet Kartheiser when he appeared in a small role in the film fantasy Indian In The Cupboard.  Or maybe you made the trek noth to catch him in the action-adventure flick, Alaska.  His newest bigscreen release is Mastermind, which should be opening at your local tenplex this month.  Of course, Vincent gave 16 a call to tell us - and you -- all about it.
16: What's your character in Mastermind like?
VINCENT:  I play Ozzie Paxton -- like Ozzie & Harriet.  He's a real rebel and he's always doing nutty things.  One morning he drives his sister to school, but what he doesn't know is the school's been taken over by thugs.  he sticks around and deals with people -- he goes from rebel to hero.
16:  Who are your co-stars inthe film?
VINCENT:  Patrick Stewart from Star Trek and Brenda Fricker, who won an Oscar for My Left Foot.  Patrick plays the villan, not like the ones in Home Alone.  And Brenda plays the principal.
16:  Was it scary working with such respected actors?
VINCENT:  It's hard to say. I started working on the movie nine months ago, and I'm at the age where you go though a lot of changes in nine months.  Back then, I was a little overwhelmed.  Now, I just look at other actors as my equals.
16:  Did you learn anything while you were filming Alaska that you were able to bring to Mastermind?
VINCENT:  Actually, the characters are kind of simliar. I think I've learned that I'm someone who can get a job done, who acts like a professional and who doesn't screw around.
16:  Do you still live in Minnesota?
VINCENT:  Yes. I'm still living at home. But I'm preparing to go to UCLA for college soon.  Theyhave a great film program.
16:  Moving to Los Angeles -- that's foinf to be quite a shock!
VINCENT:  I know.  The LA scene can be a frightening thing.  I was nervous about college, because it would be so easy to fall into that partying trap.  But I don't thin that I ever could. The thing about a lot of people in LA -- they think they know a whole lot.  But really, they're just confused and lost.  They're not rocks, they're mudslides.  And I'm planning on building a more solid foundation for myself.
16:  What movies, books, and music are you into lately?
VINCENT:  I'm still listening to Tool and Morphine.  As far as I movies, I just watched Bob Roberts, starring Tim Robbins, on video.  And books -- I'm getting into this fantasy kick.  I just finished reading Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse.
16:  And we have to ask you -- are you dating anyone?
VINCENT:  No
16:  What would you say is the best part about being an actor?
VINCENT:  I think the true reward is being able to look at good work. And of course, traveling.
16:  Do you like to watch the movies you've made?
VINCENT:  Oh I didn't say that!  I'm not exactly there yet! 

Is Vinnie A Smart Alec Or A Mastermind? (BB, 8/97)

Find out what he has in common with his rebellious new character

For a little while it looked like Vinnie Kartheiser, the star of 1996's Alaska and 1995's Indian In The Cupboard, was going to become a real smart alec -- sort of.  You see, Smart Alec was supposed to be the name of the 18-year old cutie's latest movie, which he filmed last summer in Vacouver, British Columbia, Canada.  But then the film, which co-stars Patrick Stewart (you might remember him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the 1987-1994 TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation), got a quick makeover.
    Now called Masterminds, this thrilling action-adventure movie about a teenage boy who must rescue a school held hostage hits theaters May 30, 1997.  The problem is, we're still wondering if Vinnie is anything like the mastermind he plays, or is he just a, you know, smart alec?
    Actually, in the movie Vinnie plays a little bit of both.  "The story is a rebel hero, I guess," Vinnie tells BB.  You see, the only reason Vinnie's character is recruited to save the school is because as a mischievous student who had actually been kicked out of the place as a young boy, he knows all the great hiding places and escape routes.  Well, that does sound a little like the devlish side of Vinnie we know and love!
    Of course, in real life Vinnie doesn't know the ins and outs of his local school - because he doesn't attend it.  Like a lot of teen actors, Vinnie is home-schooled.  "It's getting a little boring, but I have to admit you get used to it," Vinnie confesses.  And as far as being a real mastermind, the blue-eyed babe definitely fits the bill -- since failing ninth grade a few years ago, Vinnie's bounced back with perfect grades ever since.
    The solo school situation seems to suit the Minnesota native just fine.  "I am an individual in everything I do," says Vinnie, sounding kind of like, you guessed it, his character.  "he has only one friend and he doens't want any more than that, which is close to the same as me.  I do find common ground in that area."
    Sounds to us like Vinnie didn't have to strech too far to master his latest role -- we guess it really does pay to be a little bit of a smart alec!

Q&A With Vincent Kartheiser! -- Growing Up On The Movie Set

Three or four years ago Vincent Kartheiser was just your average American teenager, albeit a gorgeous one.  He lived with his family in Minnesota and attended school, hung out with his frieds and dated just like anybody else his age.  Then one day he by chance he got a small (okay, really small) part in the Christian Slater movie Untaimed Heart.  He liked it so he kep an eye out for other movies being filmed in his area and later grabbed small roles in Little Big League and An Indian In The Cupboard.  At 16, Vincent found his calling, got himself an agent and soon got his breakthrough starring role in Alaska.  Now 18 and having just completed his second big movie, Mastermind, in theaters in September, Vincent has grown up quickly before the eyes of all the adult actors and behing the scenes people he's worked with.  Check out this Q&A to see how far this hunk o'burnin' love has come in his acting career.

TEENBEAT: How's the Minnesota thing treating you?
VINCENT: Great.  Weather wasn't too bad.  Lots of snow, but not too cold.
TEENBEAT: What music are you listening to now?
VINCENT: Everything.  My favorite band is Tool.
TEENBEAT: Are you done with school?
VINCENT: No, I'm like a half-junior - half-senior.  It's strange.
TEENBEAT: How do you like it?
VINCENT: It's pretty cool.
TEENBEAT: Are you planning on going to college?
VINCENT:  Yes.  I'm going to UCLA, hopefully so I can continue with the movies. I think I'll probably major in history.
TEENBEAT:  After you did Alaska did you ever expect to get so much attention?
VINCENT: The company prepared me for the media attention.  It's part of the business.  Fame isn't something I seek out and it's one of the downfalls to my business.
TEENBEAT:  Do you find all the fan mail flattering?
VINCENT:  I don't believe in flattery.  I guess I do, but not in that sense.  It's flattering, but I am not flattered by flattery.
TEENBEAT:  Have you watched Mastermind yet?
VINCENT:  Oh, sure.  I thought it was good. I enjoyed it.
TEENBEAT:  Was it hard to watch yourself?
VINCENT:  It wasn't as hard as watching Alaska.  Maybe it's just because it was my second movie, or maybe it's because it was edited differently.
TEENBEAT:  Was it a little less intimidating to work with Patrick Stewart than with Carlton Heston?
VINCENT: Yes, extrememly.  Mostly because there's a big difference between 70 somthing and 40 something.  I can relate to a 40-year old much better.
TEENBEAT:  If you could pick your next role, what would it be?
VINCENT:  Drama.  Something challenging, a little more dangerous.
TEENBEAT;  Who would be in the movie with you?
VINCENT:  There are so many good actors.  Maybe Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Johnny Depp and Claire Danes.  She'd be nice to do a movie with.
TEENBEAT:  Is she your celebrity crush?
VINCENT: No, and I don't have one.
TEENBEAT: Would you ever date a celebrity?
VINCENT: No.

Excuse Me, Vinnie?

Vinnie Kartheiser plays a tough-talking bad boy in the new movie Masterming - but in real life the 18-year old says he's seriously shy.  We got his view of the Hollywood social scene.
Q: Hey, Vinnie, what's the scarriest thing about yourself?
A: "If I go up to a girl and ask her out, and she says no, I'm like, Oh man.  And I'm even more terrified of social gatherings.  I don't go to parties.  I gave that a shot a couple of times and it was awful.  That many people, the whole scene - I'm really frightened by it.  I like to go to a coffee shop or Denny's or something and just sit there with myself.  Basically, I hang out with myself more than anyone else.  I've actually become quite accustomed to me."
                                                           -----------------  reported by Carole Braden

Quote by Vincent Kartheiser ----

"We are so image motivated.  I don't think that people really realize who they are."

Quote by Vincent Kartheiser ----

"I am very raw and honest and if I don't like something about you or something that you've said, I'm going to tell you."

    Last year we introduced you to hot-hot-hot-hottie Vincent Kartheiser.  Although his first movie Alaska didn't do so well at the box office, it was so hard to take your eyes off Vinnie in that movie that we knew he'd be back on the big screen soon.  Sure enough, this month Vinnie is starring in Mastermind, an action movie with Star Trek The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart.  We caugh up with the 18-year-old Vinnie on film on the set of Mastermind.  We got some great pics and he had a lot to say when we interviewed him -- check it out!
    TEENBEAT:  What have you been up to letely?
VINCENT KARTHEISER: Same old stuff, different day.  I just got out of a tv show with a hundred screaming girls!  The Dini Petty Show.
TEENBEAT: How would you describe Mastermind?
VINCENT KARTHEISER: I play a 16-year-old rebellious kid.  He goes to drop his sister off at school and Patrick Stewart is taking over the school witha  group of thigs.  My character, Ozzie Paxton, who knows the school quite well after being expelled from it desides to try to foil their plot.  It's kind of Die Hard quick, smart and witty.
TEENBEAT:  Any stunts like in Alaska?
VINCENT KARTHEISER:  A couple of good ones.  I fall down a chimney, hang from a gutter, and climb a wall.  I did some of them, but I didn't do most of the skateboarding.  And, obviously, I had a stunt double for a lot of the scenes with the guns and fire.
TEENBEAT:  What was it like working with Patrick Stewart?
VINCENT KARTHEISER: He was really cool.  He likes Beavis & Butthead.  I found that quite weird.  He's very proper English gentleman, but he had a Beavis & Butthead calendar and poster.  So he really digs them, and that was some common group to begin on, then we went on to speak of Star Trek and all sorts of fun stuff.  He's a terrific actor and he plays a really bad guy.
TEENBEAT:  What do you think our readers will like best about the movie?
VINCENT: It's a fun movie. I think that this is a movie that, basically, you can't go to and not smile at.  it's fast moving and fun. It's exciting and there's also a fair amount of humor.
TEENBEAT:  Are you working on anything else right now?
VINCENT:  No, I'm just finishing high school. Perhaps something this summer.
TEENBEAT:  Are you planning on going to college?
VINCENT:  Yes, I'm going to go to UCLA hopefully.  I'll probably major in history.
TEENBEAT:  Fo you think you'll tkae a break from acting during college?
VINCENT:  No, that's why I'm going to UCLA so I can continue with the movies
TEENBEAT:  Are you sticking to movies or are you considering tv as well?
VINCENT:  Oh, no, I'm sticking to movies.
TEENBEAT:  What if a really good plot came along?
VINCENT:  Too bad.  I can't do that.  I can't lock myself into one role.  I need to constantly be changing.  Plus, that's a year-round thing and I only like to work three months out of the year.
TEENBEAT:  If you could pick your next role, what would it be?
VINCENT:  Drama.  Something challenging, a little more dangerous.
TEENBEAT:  Now that you've worked with two great veteran actors, what's the most important lesson you've learned from either of them?
VINCENT:  I'd have to say, Charlton Heston taught me how to do interviews. Patrick Stewart taught me how important it is to be light-hearted.  He's a serious actor, but he's got a sense of humor too.
TEENBEAT:  Are you dating anybody right now?
VINCENT: No.

No Summer Vacation For Vinnie (BB, 9/97)

 While you get ready to go on summer vacation, Vinnie Kartheiser is stuck at home.

    Even though many Boppers think that the celebrity lifestyle is completely cool, it does have it's downside.  For starters, while you yell, "Yahoo! It's summer!" and go on vacation, Vinnie Kartheiser, the 18-year-old who's appearing in the due-this-September movie Masterminds, doesn't get a break.  Like many actors, he has home school, which means he has to study all year round.
    Since Vinnie's been hitting the books at home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the only time he's spent in an actual school is while filming the school scenes in Masterminds in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  But so far, studying at home had been working well for him.  After a rough start to his high school years ("I failed ninth grade, " he tells BB), Vinnie has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average for the last two years.  And he's planning to graduate from high school in 1998.  But considering his school, Laurel Springs School for the Stars, is different from regular schools, it's hard to pinpoint what grade he's in.  "I'm like half junior, half senior," he says, struggling to explain.  "It's really strange and I wish I could explain it, but I can't."  This sounds interesting, but how exactly doesn't it work, Vin?  "They make you a curriculum for 36 weeks and you do it and you mail it back to them," he explains.
    For anyone who is used to schools with lockers, vending machines and teachers, home school seems really odd.  Think about it!  If he wishes to, Vinnie can do his schoolwork in his pajamas while he eats breakfast in bed.  And he knows he's not the only one doing it.  THere are a slew of stars who so the same thing.  "I ran into [Party of Five's] Love Hewitt awhile back and she said she goes there.  And [1996's Carpool star] Rachel Leigh Cook used to go there, too," he says.
    But what about P.E. class?  Who teaches him that?  His neighbor?  No, not at all!  Vinnie finds a way to get in shape and get credit for it.  "I went to my fencing coach and I said, 'Hey, will you fill this out,'"  Vinnie says, referring to a form his school sent him.  "My coach filled out how many hours a week I do and sent it in.  Or let's say on [1996's] Alaska, we did a lost of canoeing and mountain climbing, so we had the stunt coordinator write all that up and send it in."
    Hmmm. . . canoeing, mountain climbing, fencing classes, cereal, pajamas, Lave Hewitt!  Sounds pretty exciting, well, most of the time.  "It's getting a little boring, I have to admit," Vinnie says.  "But you get used to it."

    Vinnie Kartheiser reveals whythe chance to kick some criminals to the curb made his newest movie role one of his all-time favorites

    Imagine this. A band of criminals breaks into a school and takes all the students hostage.  The only person who can save the helpless students is a 16-year old computer hacker who has to figure out a way to crack the school's security system before he can set them free.
    Sound interesting?  It did to Vinnie Kartheiser, who says when he first read this story in the script of his recently released feature film Masterminds, he was totally psyched to play the role of Ozzie Paxton, the hacker.  "I like the fact that the kids are being trusted to work things out for themselves.  Here, Ozzie has to work it all out in real life.  I was really drawn to him."
    As much as Vinnie enjoyed playing Ozzie, the film'd director Roger Christian, had even more fun directing him from behind the camera. "Vinnie as just wonderful," Roger gushes.  "With all the action in this film, you need actors who bring intelligence to their roles, Vinnie brings a great impish charm to Ozzie."