After messing around a bit, it seems that running the player in "skinned mode" helps. Is there any way to make it so that VLC runs in skinned mode by default when opening a video file? Right now, I have to open the player in skinned mode first and then go to Open Media > Open File.
"Open your VLC settings and change your interface from native to skins. You can choose your desired skin already there or change it when you are in the skins mode by rightclicking somewhere on the skin and going to Interface>Choose Skin.
VLC needs to be restarted to change to skins mode."
From:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skins.php
Translation:
1. Launch VLC, click on
Tools, then
Preferences in the dropdown menu.
2. Click the radio button next to
Skins and browse to the location where your downloaded skin has been saved.
(You can save the skin just about anywhere on your computer.)
3. Click on the skin "vlt" file you'd like to use, then click
Open.
4. Click
Save on the
Interface Settings window.
5. Close VLC. The next time you open VLC, the skin will be automatically loaded.