Simon Baker: Guy Pearce has a better US accent than Russell Crowe

Simon Baker, 42, who plays TV detective and fake psychic Patrick Jane in The Mentalist, says he's much more impressed by Guy Pearce's American accent than their fellow Australian - and his LA Confidential co-star - Russell Crowe's.

 

Have you ever considered changing your name to a more showbiz sobriquet?

Such as Engelbert Humperdinck? Lucas Swift or Martin LaBoucher would be good. But no, never, because my name’s always been a complex issue. I was born Simon Baker but my parents separated when I was two and my stepfather changed my surname to Denny. I never really got on with him, so when I reconnected with my dad at 18, I wanted to become what I was always meant to be in the first place, which was Simon Baker.

 

You were raised in Australia but have lived in the US for 15 years now. Where is home to you?

At the moment, home tends to be sitting on a plane, because that’s where I spend most of my time. Joking aside, home’s wherever my wife and three children are. I’m well aware of how naff that sounds but that’s how I feel. My eldest daughter is at university now, so the time we all get together is that much more valuable.

 

You directed two episodes in the last season of The Mentalist. Which is more difficult, directing a TV show or directing teenage children?

It’s much more difficult directing my kids’ lives. In fact, it’s more about negotiation than direction. Actually, my eldest daughter was the one who told me to do The Devil Wears Prada after she read the script as an 11-year-old. So it’s probably the other way round – my kids direct me.

 

You were in LA Confidential with fellow Aussies Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. Who had the best US accent?

This is contentious. Arguably, it was Guy. Sorry, Russell.

 

Which aspects of the US accent do you find hardest?

The only problems arise when we have a particular Australian director. He’s got a very broad accent, so he’s like [adopts thick Australian accent]: ‘OK this is what we’re going to do heeerrre, and when I say "Simon” you’ll da-da-da and yeah yeah?’ Then I start talking with a thick Australian accent too, and when he says ‘action’, I forget to be American. The most difficult words tend to be those with an ‘a’ sound. Australians twist the vowel, whereas Americans pronounce it very flat. They enunciate words such as ‘day’ and ‘say’ so differently that it’s like a separate language.

 

Do you ever use the cold-reading techniques from The Mentalist at home?

Sadly, no. I’m far too lazy. NLP [neuro-linguistic programming] and the cold-reading stuff that Jane uses are a difficult, studied technique. Also, there’s no way any of that stuff would work on my wife.

 

Who, in your opinion, is the greatest TV detective?

Columbo, without a shadow of a doubt. He just had that charming, bumbling way about him but, behind that, an enormous brain was quietly ticking away.

 

Is there any real sense of ‘Aussiewood’ out in LA? Do you all hang out at barbecues in the Hollywood Hills?

There is to a certain degree, but there are so many young Australian actors here now I’ve never met. A lot of my relationships with Australian actors were forged at home a long time ago, before we came over here.

 

People like Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts? They’re both godmothers to your children. Do you see much of them?

Nicole, Naomi, those are both guys I’ve known for a long time, but it’s very rare that we’re ever all in the same place at the same time. Rarely are our get-togethers in Los Angeles over a barbecue.

 

So on those rare occasions, who’s the better cook, Nicole or Naomi?

That’s even more controversial than the accent question. I’m definitely not answering that. It could get me into serious trouble.

 

You surfed at national level as a teenager. Which beach has the best waves?

I’m biased because I grew up on the east coast of Australia but the best place I’ve surfed is Lennox Point in northern New South Wales.

 

What are you scared of?

Failure. Fear of failure is a great motivator for me and I encourage that nervous energy in myself. It’s a bit like surfing: when you’re paddling into a big swell you automatically get that feeling, like, can I really do this? That nervous wave motivates me to be more positive, more optimistic. The fear of not doing something to the best of your ability is a great spur to work harder.