Space Surfin’
Calgary Sun Nov 9, 2000
Red Planet puts Aussie actor on the crest of Hollywood wave

The surf was up and Simon Baker was riding the waves for medicinal purposes. We had to put our phone interview on hold until he could dry off.

"I just had to get some of that Hollywood grime off me from being at the L.A. premier of Red Planet,” explained Baker from his cell phone. "It’s my first big Hollywood movie and my first big premiere.”

The 31-year old Aussie and his actress wife, Rebecca Rigg, moved to L.A. six years ago. They made certain they found a home near a beach. "I’ve been surfing since I was eight. I grew up in a small coastal town in northern New South Wales. It’s still a big part of my life.” Baker actually surfed his way into acting. After high school, he moved to Sydney, where he began working for a company that made industrial and music videos. He eventually began working in front of the camera as well as behind. "The director of those videos was a surfer. We got on really well. He got hired to direct some of the episodes of a TV series called E Street and suggested I auditions,” recalls Baker.

The novice actor wasn’t right for any of the parts in the soap, but he impressed the writers so much they created a new character--a young police officer who soon became the show’s most popular feature. "That year (1992) I was named the most popular new talent in Australia, but ironically the show got cancelled shortly after.” Baker had celebrity, but he wasn’t able to segue into the feature film career he wanted. "Rebecca and I decided to give Hollywood a try. We didn’t want to grow old wondering if we could have had careers beyond Australia.” It was a struggle for the young couple, who had added a daughter to their little family. They had a son 19 months ago. Riggs starred opposite David Caruso on the short-lived series Michael Hayes, playing an assistant U.S. attorney. When that series was cancelled, she won the role of Kelly Newman on another short lived series, L.A Doctors.

Since the birth of our son, Rebecca as put her career on hold,” says Baker. His first major film role in America was as a doomed young actor in L.A. Confidential.

His role as a doctor on the first Mars mission in Red Planet--which opens tomorrow--took Baker back to Australia to film key scenes. "I went back in grand style. I was back shooting in my homeland, but with the perks of a big Hollywood movie. "I took many a friend out for a great dinner.” Baker got treated to a few celebrity outings himself by his Red Planet co-star Val Kilmer. Baker had heard the stories about Kilmer’s bizarre behaviour the last time the actor was in Australia filming "The island of Dr. Moreau.”

"When friends heard I had signed on to Red Planet with Val, they sent their warning and condolences, but I can honestly say I enjoyed working and socializing with him.” Baker says Kilmer is "a very intense guy. He’s very thoughtful and a rather abstract thinker. ‘He has this way of lulling you into thinking you understand where a conversation is going, only to switch gears completely. "It’s never less than fascinating being in his company. I was really intrigued by the time we spent together off camera.”