December 12, 2001 By Paulette Cohn, ET Online

Australian import (and major babe) SIMON BAKER is really cooking these days! In addition to his breakout role in the new CBS TV series " The Guardian" playing hotshot attorney Nick Fallin, the actor also stars with HILARY SWANK in the film 'The Affair of the Necklace.' ET caught up with Simon to find out more about his small-screen character, a fallen attorney sentenced to work as a child advocate.

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: What drew you to the role of Nick Fallin in "The Guardian"?
SIMON BAKER: The thing that drew me to this show is the fact that this guy was a product of his environment, but he was trying to do good. So he's very human. And he's someone that is emotionally detached but is reattaching and feeling and understanding things. You can see a shrink and understand what's happening, but it takes years to actually heal. As an actor, you're always looking to play a role that has a journey. I was really drawn to the dimension of the character, how flawed he is. My sister in particular had a physical reaction to my character in the first couple of scenes. At the end, she was sobbing.

ET: Why are so many Australian actors currently having success playing Americans?
SIMON: I have no idea. I think it's just a coincidence. There's always been as many Australians attempting to succeed on the world stage. Just at the moment, more are actually succeeding. There's always been a lot of British actors here and that's been accepted. But the ones that speak a little bit weirder from Down Under haven't always been so prominent.

ET: Can you compare and contrast working in American television vs. working in Australian television?
SIMON: There's not much of an audience in Australia as far as general population, so there just isn't the circulation of money. They've only had cable television for a few years because it just wasn't financially viable. They have these rules where you have to have a certain amount of Australian content, and then the rest is American or English. It's a hard place to have a career. In Australia, you can do a wonderful job and then be unemployed from six months to a year. But both are the same thing: Know your character, learn your lines and hit your marks.

ET: Was 'L.A. Confidential' your first picture in America?
SIMON: 'L.A. Confidential' was my first feature film anywhere. I'd only done short films in Australia, and telefilms. It was my first cinematically-released film.

ET: So you came here cold looking for work?
SIMON: Yeah, I came with my wife and my child. We were bored in a lot of ways, wanted some new horizons. So we decided to come here for a new adventure, had enough money to stay for three months. My first meeting was 'L.A. Confidential' and I got the job, and I'm still here.

ET: How has life changed since that time?
SIMON: It's become more complicated. I have two more children. I'm on a treadmill! I have a mortgage and three kids, and I'm pretty happy with my life.

ET: What surprised you about Hollywood when you got here?
SIMON: Unlike most other cities in the world, it has no epicenter. It's sort of an abyss. You drive around and wonder where the center of it all is. Actually, an Australian actor, JACK THOMPSON, a good friend of mine who I idolized as a kid, said to me, "Simon, Hollywood is a mining town and they mine the thespian vein. It's all about work." And it's true. They don't know how to have a great party here. If you want to have a party, you go to Australia! Here, everyone's in bed by 10:00. All they do is work.

ET: Does it register when people talk about you as the next big star?
SIMON: You never know. You have to take all that with a grain of salt. I could've never imagined that I'd be doing a television show until I read this script. Then I met with DAVID HOLLANDER (the executive producer) and we connected. I'm excited that the pilot left a lot of people guessing, which is kind of the objective. What I like about this show is that it is as compelling as a reality show, but it's drama.

ET: Did you watch "Survivor: Australia"?
SIMON: (laughs) Yeah, actually I did. There were some episodes I quite liked and some episodes that I felt cheated. The end was anti -climactic.

ET: What do you miss most about home?
SIMON: The beauty of it. It's a beautiful country.

ET: You had a second last name that you dropped. What was the reason for that?
SIMON: I was born Simon Baker and my name was changed to Simon Denny by my stepfather. When I was having a child, I found my father again and I changed my name to Baker-Denny. It's taken me 30 years to finally understand who I am and where I came from. Now, I've dropped the Denny and am back to what it says on my birth certificate.