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File Catalog |
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2010 (January) Telestar interview
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| 17-Nov-10, 5:30 PM |
Telestar Interview Jan 2010
"With this series, my life has completely changed”
TELE STAR: The Mentalist started very strongly, both in the US and France. To what do you attribute this instant success?
SIMON BAKER: I've been a film and television actor long enough to know that, on the small screen, it is indispensable to properly define and leave a sense of the main character's personality, and this is the case with The Mentalist. Boy, I remember tracking serials in which the key characters had charisma, while the scenarios were not great.
TS: Who were these heroes?
SB: Those who have accurately inspired my interpretation of Patrick Jane: Columbo, Kojak… real guys. I love the television of those years. I found that, in those series, a rare honesty emerged. These were the roles of cops who were not afraid to take risks. I also like Hercule Poirot, for his wit and mental alertness.
TS: You camp out a character at once charming and arrogant, equipped with a crowning sense of humor, direct and frank. Without being a true copy, is it close to what you are like in real life?
SB: You know, like many Australians, I have a sensibility very close to that of Europeans, particularly in regards to humor and irony.
TS: You have dethroned Patrick Dempsey (Dr. MyLove of Gray’s Anatomy) in the hearts of viewers. Are you aware of this? (Dr. Mamour … likely a pun, a contraction of M’amour)
SB: (He laughs) NO, not really. But it is true that with The Mentalist, my life changed completely; I’m recognized on the street. But I also savour the success. I've been in this business for twenty years, so I know the difficulties quite well.
TS: You had much difficulty?
SB: I had a bit of success in Australia in the beginning of my career. And then I came to the US, where I had not too bad a turn, particularly in some films (LA Confidential, The Devil Wears Prada) and in a series, The Guardian, which had a little notoriety. (It was broadcast in 2004 by TF1) Maybe that allowed me to gently prepare for the success of The Mentalist. (He smiles)
TS: Ultimately, success at 40 years of age is the ideal, according to you!
SB: Yes. I have a balanced family life, brilliant children, and, frankly, I am satisfied with my current existence. I don’t care much about what one may say or write about me. Anyway, I have nothing unusual or sensational that would interest members of the press. It is very good that it is like that!
TS: Tell us about your wife, Rebecca Rigg, who is very famous in Australia …
SB: She has always been a great support to me. She is solid. We have three children: Stella, born in 1993, Claude, born in 1998, and Harry, born in 2001. I am fulfilled.
TS: For the poster campaign accompanying the launch of the second season of The Mentalist in The United States, you appear with your wrinkles, without any retouching. Is that by choice?
SB: Indeed, it was my will. I have forty years of life behind me, I surf, I like to drink a glass of wine from time to time, to dance, I benefit from this existence and I carry that on my face. And let it be said, that does not worry me. I am physically changing and it's normal. Between last year’s poster and the one which you now mention (the 2nd season campaign), it appears as if several years have passed, but I wanted to have my say this time and appear as I am.
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| Category: Interviews 2008-2011 | Added by: Fran
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