“Even when I’m 85 and I buy myself diapers, they will continue to recognize me from the ‘mentalist'”

In February 2015, the last episode of “The Mentalist” aired, the drama series starring Australian-Hollywood star Simon Baker. After seven seasons, Baker took off his three-piece suit and many wondered if he would be able to break free from the character so identified with him. “I, too, have always wondered if participating in ‘The Mentalist’ would prevent me from doing other roles,” Baker confessed when we met at the recent Berlin Film Festival. “In the end I decided to go ahead and take advantage of the doors that the series opened for me.”

In the six years since, Baker has indeed moved on. He chose to turn in new and surprising directions, including a return to his homeland. “Hollywood does have power, but I wanted to develop as an artist. Your ambitions and goals change over time. If you are not flexible and do not change, then you have a hard time believing that there are other things you can do that will make you happy. True, I could totally do something mentalist.” ‘, But I did not want to become a broken record. When musicians release an album they always strive for it to be different from the previous one, and there are people for whom that is not their goal – they want to do the same thing over and over again, and that’s fine. My expectations of myself are my motivation.

“I’m already 51 and should not be the donkey chasing the carrot. I got a taste of the carrot and it’s great, but it’s not the end of the world if I do not eat from it again. Success does not always bring happiness or necessarily some self-revelation. The thought that ‘Oh no, I’m going to lose all the publicity I’ve gained!’. It’s not me. ”

One of the reasons that made Baker return to live in Australia, after 20 years of living in Los Angeles, was a bestseller that shook him. “One day I was reading ‘Breath’, Tim Winton’s book and it threw me straight back into the intense relationship I had with the beach in Australia. For years people asked me why I miss Australia the most and had nothing to answer but ‘the environment I grew up in, the smells “And in my childhood and adolescence we used to run and roam free on the beach and in nature, who were key figures in my life, even if I was not aware of it at the time. Nature taught me a lot, it gave me excitement and charm and tenderness. He always kept me close and was always there by my side.”

Baker was not content with returning home, directing a film adaptation of Winston’s 2017 book. The plot of the film, called “The Surfers” (and will soon be available to watch on HOT), takes place in 1970s Australia and follows two teenage boys who befriend a mysterious adult adventurer (Baker), who pushes them to take risks that will significantly affect their lives. “Although I directed a few episodes of ‘The Mentalist’, but the directing of ‘The Surfers’ happened by chance, like a lightning strike. I was supposed to produce the film and act in it, and in the end I also directed it. I have to thank my wife Rebecca, she pushed me and said : ‘Come on, go for it and shut up already!’. I told her I’m afraid it did not turn out well and she replied: ‘Do you know how many bad movies there are in the world? It does not matter. Come on, let’s make a bad movie – go ahead’. Good thing I heard her voice – The directing experience was amazing and a lot of fun. ”

I was impressed by the fact that some of the surfing scenes you did yourself.
“Yeah, I did a little bit. I’m not bad at all for Terah Beard. Maybe 20 years ago I would have tried some of the big tricks that appear in the movie, but I’m getting older so I had an excellent double who did the crazier things.”

Following the successful management of the Corona Crisis by the Australian Government, the cinemas on the continent are now open and these days High Ground is coming to their screens – a new film starring Baker that was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. “This film takes place after the Australian soldiers returned home from the First World War – of course many of them suffered from post-trauma, a phenomenon no one knew at the time. This led to the placement of those soldiers in remote areas of Australia, where they functioned as police officers.

“The film is about some of the atrocities committed against Australia’s indigenous peoples, the Aborigines, and the conquest of their territories. We often see Aborigines portrayed as victims in the films, but often do not reveal to us how organized their opposition to the occupation of their lands was – In all its glory, the process of making the film greatly strengthened and empowered the local populations involved in it, and as a result they also supported it. We filmed in all sorts of locations defined as heritage sites, and to film them we had to get the approval of the ‘Tribal Elders’. “And in other places they kicked us out.”

Baker has quite a few reservations about Australia’s treatment of its original inhabitants. “The story we tell in the film is still a bloody wound in the back of the nation and important to talk about. It made me want to learn and understand more about the indigenous culture, to which we are not exposed at all in schools. When I was a student the subject was pretty much ignored throughout school.

Deliberately?
“I do not know, but I certainly wonder why we are not taught about Aboriginal people. It does not surprise me, because Australia is one of the only countries in the British Commonwealth that has not signed an agreement with the indigenous people living in its territory. It is difficult for us as a nation to accept and contain the truth around The White Settlement in Australia. There are difficult moments in the film that will make Australians feel uncomfortable, and even ashamed and guilty, about what their ancestors did. The film also deals with the difficulty of forming an identity – which is not a bad metaphor for my country. We have a long history of 65,000 years of culture. “It includes the white settlement. The film brings the tragedies and difficult truths that have to be faced, and puts you in this uncomfortable place of consciousness and still asks that we show compassion for the needs of the other.”

Baker was born on the island of Tasmania and grew up in New South Wales. From the age of 10 he has been surfing. “Until I was 17 I was short and skinny, and then I grew up, not so much, but I grew up,” Baker laughs. After appearing in several series in Australia, Baker decided to cross the ocean and try his hand at Hollywood, just like many Australian stars and stars. In 1997, he appeared in “LA Secrets” alongside Kim Basinger, but the road to the top was full of bumps and hardships, and even disappointments and failures. The turning point came with his appearance in the hit “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006), alongside Meryl Streep Van Hathaway, which takes place as I recall against the backdrop of the fashion world and a magazine very reminiscent of “Vogue”. The film was a catalyst for his career advancement. “I played Christian there, a pretty handsome writer and man, but a bit superficial. Following the role I got a lot of offers to make characters of beautiful and superficial men. That’s also why I’m glad I’m older today – I get more complex roles.”

A year and a half after “The Devil Wears Prada” came the lead role in the series “The Mentalist”. “I am indeed lite to say. After learning to let go, I accepted myself and became more calm and patient and less controllable. Suddenly opportunities began to emerge.” The series, made by CBS, has given Baker nominations for Emmy and the Golden Globe thanks to the role of Patrick Jane, a thriving television medium who lives happily and peacefully until a serial killer kills his wife and daughter. Revengeful Patrick is determined to capture the abominable man, who is responsible for his tragedy. He is attached to a special agent unit and helps its people crack down on crimes, thanks to his abilities to read people and observe them.

“I could definitely identify with Patrick,” Baker says. “This is a character who faces serious obstacles and manages to jump over them. To protect his vulnerability, he wears interesting armor and sometimes uses humor as a weapon, to defend himself. He is a conflict-ridden character and I loved that complexity. I was always shy, so I played a character “Talking a lot with so much confidence was a big challenge for me. The part of the personal magic was already easier … I really enjoyed being a part of the series, but in the end I wanted to leave it out of a great love for the whole experience.”

Baker may be doing everything he can to escape the rescue of “The Mentalist,” but reruns have forced him to deal repeatedly with the significant chapter in his career – and now more than ever, with all seasons of the series airing on Amazon Prime as well. “It seems that even when I’m 85, and I’m going to buy diapers at the supermarket for myself, people will continue to recognize me from this series.”

Thanks to the “mentalist”, the bespectacled Baker also became a sought-after fashion presenter – the Givenchy brand chose him to serve as the face of one of its masculine perfumes while the Swiss watch company Longjin appointed him its ambassador. Even today he does not feel completely comfortable with his coronation as a “sex symbol”. “I was crowned a heartbreaker during the ‘Mentalist’ era, it was fun and flattering. An adolescent man always welcomes such compliments, but it doesn’t bother me that it already belongs to the past,” Baker says and bursts out laughing.

But with all due respect to image and temptations, Baker chose to be loyal and close to his wife and the mother of his three children – actress Rebecca Rig, whom he met in the early 1990s filming the Australian series “Island Street”. “Rebecca is cool. I’ve never met her like that and that’s what intrigued me. Then, as with most people, you scratch the surface and see what’s beyond.”

So what’s your secret to a successful marriage?
“I do not want to be a standard for why it is a good marriage, because it only puts pressure on the relationship, which makes it more challenging and difficult. I think it is important to see marriage as an adventure, because it all starts in the head and is a good way to look at challenges. Challenges. You never get to the point where you say, ‘Well, here, now’s easy, because once you’re there you suddenly find the termites that have gnawed at the foundations – and again everything collapses. So you must not take those moments for granted. The truth is Children also give an extra touch to the relationship. The focus shifts to the common goal which is raising a family. So there are no secrets to a successful marriage, you succeed in it because you want to succeed. In general, being a good family man is the first thing I wanted to succeed in. Of course, being a parent is much more important. “

Do you want your kids to go your own way and become actors?
“I want my kids to go their own way. It’s a cliché, but I want them to be happy. If one of them wants to be a plumber – I want him to be the happiest plumber there is. If one of them wants to be a poet – I want him to be the happiest poet there is. “And if the poet must suffer – I want to be the happiest suffering poet there is. I want happiness to be internal, because the person’s relationship with himself is the most important relationship there is.”

Baker, who now lives in Sydney, is working on several projects – including directing. “I have quite a few stories in my head, but the secret lies in which one will reach the top of the line, and when. To develop a project that is often similar to a marathon – you need patience and endurance. You can develop three or four things at once, and think one is more advanced than the other. “The world is changing and as a result the project may lose its value.”

And the world is indeed changing, and Baker is worried about the changes caused by global warming. “Unfortunately, we inadvertently give back to nature for everything it has done for us. It’s really heartbreaking. For me as mentioned nature has always been a big part of life, so it’s a bit frustrating that in Australia global warming has become a political idea, and that social activism is negative in politics. When it’s not a political issue. It’s a debate that needs to be discussed. Although Sydney is not directly affected by major forest fires, air quality has reached a point where people with breathing problems are at risk. The consequences of global warming are only far more severe than landscape destruction. Of the home of all mankind. “