The video starts with Nikos Aliagas teasing Sandrine Quétier, saying : "Simon talked about you, he still remembers the last time you interviewed him. He was like "How's Sandrine?".
Nikos : After performing the role of Patrick Jane for 7 years, which made him famous around the world, the actor is about to move on as The Mentalist is coming to an end. Always elegant and kind, Simon Baker will talk about 5 important days of his life.
Voiceover : Last week, Simon Baker made a stop in Paris. On this occasion, he invited Nikos for an interview in that prestigious hotel.
Nikos to the fans : Are you all here for Simon Baker?
Fans : Yes !!
Nikos *knocks on the door* The Mentalist is behind this door.
SB : *jokes* Is it the room service? Hi! Please come in.
Voiceover : After 7 seasons, the actor is bidding farewell to the character who made him famous.
Nikos : How are you feeling as this adventure is coming to an end?
SB: At the end of season 6, I knew that if we made an additional season, it would be the last one. So we all slowly got ready to say goodbye to each other. I will stay in touch with many people from the cast and crew, like Robin, who has become a very close friend. Finishing such an experience is always exciting especially when you get it done at the best moment, before it gets boring.
Voiceover : SB will talk about 5 important days in his life.
SB *watches video* I was so young!
Voiceover : October 15, 1996, Simon was 27 and performed in what was the most famous Australian TV show back then "Heartbreak High". During 7 episodes, he played a very charming teacher.
SB: It's interesting that we shot this series in the eastern suburbs of Sydney in an abandoned high school. There were many young actors who were rehearsing with us.
Nikos : It was a mix of professional and non-professional actors?
SB : Yes. I think it was one the last roles I got in Australia before moving to the US.
Voiceover : One year after "Heartbreak High", the Australian actor moved to LA with his wife and their 3-year-old daughter.
Nikos : It was a great and risky decision to leave with your family and go to the US! Nobody knew who you were back then. Is it true that Nicole Kidman helped you settle?
SB: We went to the US during the holidays and we stayed at her place. She encouraged us to settle there (LA) and take chances. When we arrived in LA, we only had 2000 dollars. We could live for 2 months if we were careful about money. So we rented a little car. If things hadn't worked out, we would have been happy to leave.
Voiceover: But only a few months after moving to LA, SB signed for his first role in an Hollywood movie (LA Confidential). September 19, 1997, the actor played opposite Kevin Spacey in LA Confidential. A small role that he got thanks to the most influent casting director.
SB : The first casting director I met was Molly Finn (???). As soon as I walked in and saw her, I was fascinated by her energy, her positivity. She could figure you out in just one look. She introduced me to the director Curtis Hanson and he told me I couldn't have the main role but he gave me this one.
Nikos: Was that role helpful for your career?
SB: I was contacted by big productions but I didn't feel like playing in blockbusters. I preferred to play in independent movies, which was probably a naive and somewhat arrogant choice.
Nikos: Did you refuse many roles?
SB: Not so many but I refused opportunities that didn't fit my career prospects.
Voiceover : But after 11 years, his career didn't really start so he decided to change his prospects and turn to TV shows.
SB: *about the pilot* This is the best episode that we made. At that moment, it was all new, exciting and promising. I was discovering my character while performing it.
Voiceover : Simon was chosen by Bruno Heller himself to play the role of Patrick Jane . The creator still remembers the very first scene.
Bruno : This character was a mix of elegance, intelligence and tension, just the way I created it. And when I saw Simon perform, I knew he had all those qualities. It was a great joy.
SB: I immediately got along with Bruno and we've been great friends and we'll be friends forever. We immediately trusted each other and I would tell him "Let me improvise" and he would say "Go ahead". If you make your character evolve and feel close to it, it becomes easier. In the end, it's more difficult to just do what you're told. It was really satisfying for me to contribute to the character and make it personal.
Voiceover : With The Mentalist, Simon has become one of the most famous Australian actors in Hollywood. In 2010, during a gala gathering all the famous Australians of Hollywood, Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban paid tribute to Simon with a song.
SB: This is so not Nicole, it's something she usually does in her living room, while nobody's watching and when she's comfortable.
Nikos : Australian people look like they stick together, is it true?
SB : There's no competition between us, mostly support. When I arrived in LA, there were not many Australians. Australians used to be rejected but now they are everywhere in Hollywood.
Voiceover: 3 years later, it was Hollywood that paid tribute to Simon Baker.
*Walk of Fame event and speech*
SB: Do I have to watch it all?
Nikos : So this star was for your family? I definitely can't imagine you watching it everyday *laugh*
SB: It's like leaving a message on the sidewalk, it'll stay there forever and maybe one day, my grandchildren will see it and say "Oh it's my granddad".
Nikos: It's a paradox, because it's your star but it doesn't really belong to you, it's for the others.
Thanks you for the translation Fran (and Sabrina). It's a shame they concentrated so much on his past but I suppose Simon wouldn't want to give away too much about any future projects at this point anyway. He always looks so embarrassed when he's confronted by past clips, bless him. He's such a lovely man though and so emotional where his family is concerned which is humbling! I love the fact that when he looks to the future he is envisioning how any future grandchildren may view his career. He doesn't see himself as a Hollywood star but simply a family man doing a job he loves that he hopes will inspire future generations of his family.
A really nice interview. I love that the French media ask Simon different questions than the US press. Simon is completely adorable in this interview. Shy and moved when he is talking about his family. Very sweet. Thanks for all the links and translations. All this French press has been making me work to remember my long unused French!
A lovely interview and thank you Fran for the translation. What a lovable man whose family means the world to him and he always puts them first. He has many admirable facets to his personality but I think the most endearing is his shyness and also that he is so emotional. Love him to bits ❤️
I translated it to English using Google (I'm not a Spanish speaker)
In my house I'm not a star
The Australian actor Simon Baker faces his last season in 'The Mentalists after seven years with his character and admits the desire to change and get his family
Spain reaches the last season of 'The Mentalist' (10:30 p.m. today., La Sexta), the brilliant detective series starring Simon Baker. After seven years giving life to the lure of television medium, the Australian actor confesses to be prepared to say goodbye. With the latest chapter in the US scheduled for February 18 and a surprise (we will not reveal), Baker says you soon to the small screen and concentrate on resting with his family. At 45 years is one of the Australian performers with more pull in Hollywood.
Spent seven years playing a detective who knows how to read people. Have you managed to learn some body language? If you are not cautious you have left only 35% of battery in the phone that you record. Yes and no. I've always been a reasonable and not an observer, not necessarily I learned playing this series. My wife, when I try to guess someone always rolls his eyes as if to say 'not again'.
What do you think of the analogy made of Patrick Jane Sherlock Holmes or Colombo? For the first episode I thought Pagliacci, in the tramp who plays Chaplin in 'The Tramp' (titled in Spain 'Tramp Tramp'). I also find something of Peter Sellers, Colombo, Sherlock Holmes ... but it 'The Mentalist'.
What is the attraction to the public for these smart detectives and the rebels time? There are serious about them. His personality is so charismatic that felt drawn to their personal safety. Are heroic characters, mythical, do not require the use of technology to discover any crime. And draws audiences for his courage, nothing cowardly about them.
His wife teases, but what is the attribute to guess or read body language as impressive or annoying? It bothers me a bit because I spend many hours on set to go out and continue with the same. In my house I am not an international star.
Do you have good radar when discovering the intentions of the people who come out of interest? Yes. I've been twenty years working in this industry and I have not been forced to develop the radar. The study of mentalism and the idea of reading people is not dissimilar to sit with a group of journalists who know before and which, they are asking, will reveal the kind of story they write (laughs). The series has evolved and now shows different topics. As an actor it is important to connect with the emotional heart of the story and the character. The story of Red John is very attractive and we have always tried to balance the light entertainment and criminal procedure. This season is one of my favorites because there is an episode where I go to prison portraying the game of cat and mouse and manipulation Patrick Jane always used.
What will you do when you are finished with the series? Enjoy the simple things in life. I want to reconnect with my friends and family because I've been a long time without paying due attention. I want to be assistant football coach of my children, watch them train, rehearse, take them camping.
I so agree DS. No matter what he would say I'd be hooked ...or he doesn't even have to say anything. This clip is just soooo fantastic! You have to love him.
(Didn't even realize that it was in the TM promo thread before...I was so blown away by this clip ...moved my post now here too)
Not exactly an interview but… He could read me the phone book… Or even sell me my own books (and I'm a bookseller) mellow
Exactly. His voice is mesmerizing. That's why I will listen to the movie "Going Vertical" sometimes when I am driving, just to be soothed by that voice. The curl of hair on his forehead is just an added bonus.
Message edited by kim - Saturday, 28-Feb-15, 7:12 PM
