The WORKlNG DAD INTERVIEW: SIMON BAKER
The "Mentalist" is the face of Gentlemen Only, a Givenchy perfume. But he is also the father of Stella, 19, CIaude, 14, and Harry, 11.
With the shootings following on and your new role as a Givenchy Ambassador, do you still manage to have some family time?
As my job is unpredictable, the only way to get some is to seize the slightest opportunity. If my children are not at school the day I shoot an interesting scene, I take them on set ; if I'm shooting abroad during their holidays, as for "I Give It A Year", my new film, the whole family joins me. Well at least, my wife and sons, Claude and Harry, for my daughter Stella is in college.
The good thing with the "Mentalist" is, I shoot twelve hours a day, but the schedule shifts over the week: Monday, I start at 5 AM and finish at 5 PM, this allows us to have a family dinner. On Friday, I start at 10 AM so we can get a family breakfast, and I take my children to school.
Do you take care of your children’s homework?
Very rarely, it’s rather my wife who does that, in the same way as she is the boss for the planning of the children schedule! And it's better that way because I am very bad at dealing with that. Moreover, when she is not home and I'm alone with the kids, I send her text messages every five minutes: "Where do I take Harry?","At what time is the football training for Claude?". For me, it’s rather: "Tell me what I have to do, and I will do it!". However, I am always encouraging them. When they have ideas, I push them to achieve them, and to take risks.
How do you do that ?
My oldest son loves graffiti and I encourage him to practice in our house. I wanted to take him outdoor to do it, but he did not want to... The other one is a real little inventor with plenty of ideas, who loves building things with his hands, therefore I turned my garage into a huge messy workshop with tools of all kinds. As soon as they show an appetite for something, for instance photography, playing an instrument... I encourage them. In fact, everything is ok, as long as they are not playing with their xbox!
Are their godmothers (Naomi Watts is the godmother of Claude and Nicole Kidman of Harry) present?
For my children they are part of the family, as it is often the case with godparents. They are very close friends - it's Nicole who pushed me to try my luck in Hollywood - and we see them regularly. Australians people, it's like a little mafia!
Regarding the allocation of domestic duties with your wife, are you rather following an old fashion model or the 50/50 style?
I help, of course, but at the same time, without having really decided it, we are in a pretty... old fashion setting. My wife loves to cook, so it became her territory. If I’d want to give it a try, she would probably feel that I’m stepping on her toes. She’s the one who do the shopping at the supermarket because when I do, it’s either I forget something, or I come back with three times too much stuff, or I call her twenty times in a row. However, I take care of the outdoor things, I tinker, I move the furniture around. Stuff men do! And everyone is quite happy with this distribution.
So, no household tasks for you?
Yes, because she does the cooking, but I do the cleaning! Also I’m often managing when it comes to the layout and decoration of the house. I'm very visual and I like space, then I’m the one who choose the colour of the cushions or hang a picture. It is obvious to me, unlike for Rebecca, who is struggling with these decisions.
What are your weekends like?
On Saturday morning, I sometimes wake up early to go surfing, and sometimes I take Harry with me. However, this is not Claude’s stuff, so I do not bother him with it, even if he is naturally gifted. I think it's more important that they find their own way. I was surfing while, in my family, nobody was. For them, football is the thing. Trainings, competitions... They play a lot, so much of the weekend is spent in taking them around. And we always try to have dinner or lunch together at least once. That’s what we call a family weekend!
Soline Delos
|
