2008 (December) Washington Post - Interviews 2008-2011 - File Catalog

There's something about Patrick Jane that makes you want to tell him all your secrets. And if you don't, it doesn't really matter; he'll find them all out anyway. Jane, played by Simon Baker, is a detective/former faux-psychic in the new CBS drama "The Mentalist," the sole breakout hit of a dismal fall TV season.

The series features the California Bureau of Investigation and Jane, its brilliant and most controversial employee. Haunted by the murder of his wife and daughter, Jane uses his keen sense of observation, dead-on instincts and frighteningly blinding smile to charm his way into solving any crime. We talked to Baker and creator Bruno Heller about the idea for this unique character.

I wanted to do a procedural with a lead who would break the procedure. I've always been fascinated by mentalism and that area of magic. These people claim to be mind readers or psychics ... but being able to actually convince others of that is more impressive. They have very aggressive psychological insights into people, and it seemed natural for someone chasing criminals to have those kind of skills.

The heroic nature of the character is that he's lived through tragedy, but he doesn't let that show, and the job he's doing is a direct result of it. He's seeking atonement and redemption. If there was one word that I think Simon brings to the character, it's grace. The way he moves, the way he interacts with other people. He has a smile that you want to see. You want to draw it out of him. That's one of those things that mentalists understand, those basic physical responses; when you see someone smiling and it's an infectious smile, it makes you slightly happier. It's a puppies-and-sunsets thing, but hey, that's what TV's about, to some degree.

I love con-men characters in film. It's such a joy to be able to play one, when you don't necessarily know when you're telling the truth or lying, but at the same time you like the character. The fact that Patrick Jane was a fraud and entertainer and showbiz man, that informs his whole outfit, the look.

Initially, he was a little more razzle-dazzle. And we played against that because I wanted that to be more in his persona. So the suits are all worn, and my shoes are really worn out. The idea was to show he hadn't bought any suits since the tragic incident with his wife and child. At that moment, he gave up on the physical appearance.

Due to the fact that the character has such an enormous tragedy, you can't help but be somewhat sympathetic. I think he's full of self-loathing and incredibly self-deprecating. There's a distinct lack of self-preservation. Jane really has nothing left to live for, except for a form of revenge and justice, and his own kind of take on what justice is.