April 2015 - BIBA (France)

(Translation thanks to liphippy30)

SimonBaker - Icon for Givenchy, the main character from The Mentalist tells us about the women in his life. By Judith Pardo.

 You know what? I’ll never watch “The Mentalist” the same way I did. Meeting Simon Baker, I'm leaving the interview with the proof that great men still exist and being convinced that being a celebrity doesn’t stop you from staying simple. That’s what we call a good interview.

We are here, the both of us, in the suite of a great hotel, by ourselves, without any press agent – which is rare for someone that famous.

He comes towards me, elegant in his suit, says “hi” by kissing me on the cheeks (waouh), smiles and explains to me that he is still a bit jet-lagged for he arrived from Australia a few hours ago, and says to me “So, I’m supposed to talk about the women who influenced my life, right?” “Yes, that’s it, it’s for BIBA” and I hand him the magazine. He opens it, asks me questions, keeps turning the pages and stops on a Tourism article to be awed in front of a picture of a travel van. “Great, I love it. Look, the roof can be open and a bed can fit, that’s great.”

Everything is said: the natural and simple side of the Australian man. But we are here for the women of his life…

“My wife.

She's the most important woman in my life. We’ve been married for more than 20 years. She taught me “love”. We share everything; she is my “partner” in every single plan, even for work. It’s important to me to have a different opinion even if it’s different.  She is also someone who helped me understand the other women in my life and how to appreciate them more. I can say that thanks to my wife, I am closer to my mother.”

“My daughter.

She is 21. She is very very important to me obviously because she is my daughter but also because she makes me think differently. I can be surprised and learn a lot about her vision of relationships between men and women. She is modern and philosophical. It’s amazing to see how things have changed for the better, since my generation or that of my step-father’s. Of course, I can see it with my two sons who are 13 and 15 but I can say that my daughter influences my life because she pushes me to be better.”

“All the other women!

I grew up in Australia in a middle social class and in a male and competitive environment. That was it, there was always fear and danger between men. I was a sensitive child and I think I felt more at ease with women. I had the impression that they didn’t judge me. They probably understood me better than I understood them. Women were, to me, beautiful, fantastic, different, exotic and mysterious. It's actually pretty funny to see that what intrigued me the most – the fact that they communicate – is what has been the most useful to me. Facing a problem, for instance, a women is not going to help you fix it but is going to talk about it, and it changes everything. I like this exchange and that’s probably what drew me to my job … and my wife. I have always loved the women who exchange, who communicate, who talk, strong women.”

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