Simon Baker, A Real Life Mentalist?

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I always wondered what I would ask someone (famous) if ever given the chance. Would I even go as far as to open my mouth and say something? Would the words come out? Tough one!

I used to be this shy kid, serious about school and home works (you can call me geeky if you like. I didn’t like it back then but I sure do appreciate it now. You can even get away with calling me nerd-ish). Still I would have gladly worked my way around socializing. Talking to people felt so awkward. So let’s pretend for a second that I would have this assignment. This interview. With Simon Baker. And that I would have to actually talk to him. Ask him things. What would you ask him if you had this assignment? (do hit the jump, who knows when and how this might end?)

I was waiting for The Mentalist season premiere (that’s September 23rd) to remind myself who and why Simon Baker. However, like you said so yourself, a movie character is not the same as the actual person who’s playing it. Even so, have you seen The Mentalist? (even if you didn’t, it won’t hurt you to know that) Simon Baker was cut to play Jane! Either that, or he’s really a good actor! (which I don’t doubt, however, few are those who go as far as to identify themselves with the character and to make you live each and every little thing they’re doing there, on the small screen).

I was unaware of who Simon Baker was up until The Devil Wears Prada. To my surprise, he was pretty lucrative even before that date (2006, that is). From LA Confidential to Land of the Dead, Simon Baker had been there all along. He’s the quiet Aussie who grew strong and better with age and came to conquer the TV world with his Patrick Jane character that he plays from 2008 on.

Born on July 30 1969 in a family that would separate soon after, Simon Baker was one of those children with normal parents and average childhood. His mother was a high school teacher and his father a groundskeeper. His mother remarried later with a butcher. Pretty normal upbringing for Simon who later graduated from Ballina High School in 1986. How he managed to squeeze in an acting role in 1980 in an Australian TV series is still a mystery but nevertheless the beginning of a long, happy journey. It was during that debut period that Simon also appeared in music videos. (yes, yes, dare and press play, at the end of this very article, you’ve got two videos with Simon Baker. Here and there.)

But do you know that Simon (little Simon, actually) took surfing and water polo lessons so hard and so serious that he became a state champion? He even worked at the local supermarket (where his mom was a security supervisor), in a pub and in constructions, as a bricklayer. Luckily that wasn’t meant to last for he has heard the Hollywood calling. When he first arrived in the H hills, there weren’t many Australians there. So he struggled hard to get recognition (and faked his accent oh – so – many – times!). Some of his movie roles haven’t had that much appeal on the audience, at least not the kind he’s enjoying now from his Mentalist perspective: did you heard about The Affair of the Necklace? How about Red Planet? Margin Call? How about The Guardian, his previous three years CBS success? (the Mentalist is also a CBS series)

Mr Simon Baker also has a Missus Simon Baker in his life. And he has had so from 1998. Rebecca Rigg is Simon’s wife (the two met while they were starring together in the very popular Australian soap opera E Street), with whom he has three children (Stella Breeze, Claude Blue and Harry Friday born in 1993, 1998 and 2001). Simon often tells people in interviews that he’s enjoying the simple pleasures in life and one of them is watching his children get together and laugh. Sure, that may not be such an easy thing with a teenage daughter, but she brings her own contribution to her daddy’s day job. He gave her The Devil Wears Prada script to read and have her say on his character. After she read it, Stella said that it wasn’t just a nice character but that he should definitely give it a go. So he did. So we all have Stella to thank!

Now let’s look at Simon Baker from a fashion perspective: he’s got this vision of masculine elegance he has stretched out to his Mentalist character. He thinks men suits are not just for special occasions or office hours but for various situations also. Mentalist’s Patrick Jane is a classy bourgeois – like silhouette who likes wearing three pieces men suits just because Simon Baker thought he should make his character recognizable through a distinctive style. And he did. People love his suited style, his relaxed elegance and his humor. And from the looks and sounds of it, Simon Baker is pretty relaxed and funny as a real person too. But then again, what do we really know?

Finally getting back to that assignment. I went through various materials from many sources, all summing Simon Baker’s life deeds until now and still haven’t found an angle I’d pin to question him if ever I had the chance to. (I’m not making it an assignment issue just because it’s Simon Baker, it could have been anyone, it’s just the “interview” perspective that’s freezing me and I found that to be strange so I thought maybe if I’ll share it with you, make it part of a story, you’d feel free to share your freezing experiences with me too). What would you ask him? What if he was just like the Mentalist and he would anticipate everything you’d had in mind before you even verbalize it? (via 1, 2, 3)