TV HITS - December 1993
Interview: Santi Pintado
He's Got A New Name, A New TV Show And A New Baby!
SIMON DADDY

You're starting on Home and Away this month as Lisa Lackey's new love interest. How do you feel about being thrown into a love scene on your first day?
Fine. I don't mind it. The scenes are all really short and quick - that's they style of the show, it's fast-moving so we don't get bored.

What's the most unglamorous thing about doing a love scene with a beautiful star like Lisa?
The amount of lipstick the make-up department puts on the girls on shows like this. It's just got a funny taste to it (laughs). One thing I must admit is that kisses on TV are pretty bad, they just don't look right.

Do you think that by rushing into a relationship with Lisa's character you're setting a bad example for young viewers?
It depends on how they see it. I think Home and Away is a show that people tune in and watch because they relate to it.

You've appeared on both A Country Practice and GP this year. Why are you hopping from one TV show to the next?
I got offered a full-time part with A Country Practice but I wasn't prepared to do it for a long period of time. It's really draining, doing that day-in, day-out. I like to work along the lines of quality not quantity. After being on E Street for a year or so as a regular character going round and round in a never-ending story, it's nice to have a break and then, say with ACP, it's like, here's your script, this is where your story starts and here's how it ends. That's why I like doing the guest spots.

Which of your E Street buddies do you still hang out with?
Well, everyone's gone their different ways. I catch up with them when I can, but I have a problem getting in contact with people. I'm not one of those people who'd get on the phone and call them, but if I run into them I'll organise something.

Why have you changed your name to Simon Baker Denny?
It's a long story. I was born Simon Baker. Basically, I have two fathers and I love them both. It's a pretty private thing, really. My mother remarried when I was really young and the surname changed to Denny. Since then, I've formed a very special friendship with my real father and I think it's important for my child to know her blood lines. I know a lot of people have said, "You can't change your name, you're Simon Denny", but @*!# it, that's who I am.

Speaking of your baby, you've named her Stella Breeze Baker. Where did you get that middle name from?
Who really uses their middle names? I mean, no-one really. So, we thought we'd give more feeling into the middle name.

How did you prepare yourself for changing nappies?
You can't prepare yourself for that, but I enjoy doing it.

Which of the following TV dads are you most like: a) Al Bundy; b) Bill C???; c) Dan on Rose???; or d) Jim Walsh on 90201?
I'd have to say I'm more like Homer Simpson, actually!

If you could give one bit of advice about being a dad what would it be?
I could highly recommend it.

Have you stopped being a wild man now that you have a kid?
What wild man?! I'm still the same person, I still have the same outlook on life - if I didn't, I wouldn't do it. A lot has changed but not on that level. In fact, things have only changed in my heart.

Thanks for scan: http://sarapettarini.tumblr.com/post/122829475679/tv-hits-december-1993