To the world, he’s a TV star. To his kids, Simon Baker is just plain old Dad. The Mentalist star might have had the biggest hit show of the past year, but his family wouldn’t know it. “My kids don’t watch the show,” says the actor, taking a break on the set in LA. “I won’t let them because there’s always some sort of violent act at the beginning. It’s also on too late here – 10pm!”
Simon (40) has successfully balanced family life with a burgeoning Hollywood career since moving to LA in 1995. Born and raised in Tasmania, he applied for nursing school because he felt it too unrealistic to dream of becoming an actor. “Turns out I hate sick people,” he laughs. “So that lasted about two months.” He became a bricklayer instead. But then came a breakthrough – a mate who was going to an audition for a TV commercial told Simon to come and hang out in the waiting room with him “because there are always cute girls”.
A casting agent spotted him at the audition, and Simon got the job. What followed was a rapid rise through the ranks – from Aussie series Heartbreak High to E Street where he met his wife, actress Rebecca Rigg (42). The couple made the move to Hollywood when work in Australia dried up, and Simon landed his first major part, as a wannabe actor in the film LA Confidential.
Even now, he says, Rebecca helps him decide which roles he should take. “I came into this business totally green, while she had all this experience,” he explains. “We disagree about a lot of things but she’s very bright and has strong opinions so I want to know what they are.'”
Now the star is set to return in a second series of the hit TV2 show. Simon will once again play Patrick Jane, who uses his powers of manipulation and behavioural insight to spot liars and solve murders. Although he likes to keep the dark material of The Mentalist at arm’s length from his children, Simon says his family has always had a huge influence over the type of work he takes on. “Their experiences of learning and seeing films – what they appreciate and what they enjoy – you can’t help but be influenced by that as a parent.”
As his acting career was taking off, so too was Simon’s brood. The couple have three children: Stella (now 16), Claude (11) and Harry (8). Actress Nicole Kidman, an old friend of Rebecca’s whom she met on the audition circuit, is Harry’s godmother. Naomi Watts is Claude’s.
Tired of not being allowed to watch her dad in any of his films, it was Stella who suggested Simon take the role of the charming writer who seduces Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. Until then, Simon had been eager to avoid the “dreamy guy roles”. But she had been looking for something to read one day so he tossed her the script. After scouring it in record time, Stella told him, “The character’s a bit of a dick, but I think you should do it.” The star says he’s not always so strict with his kids when it comes to what they watch on TV. He and Stella often curl up together for Gossip Girl. “What my kids read and watch, and what they find interesting, is fascinating for me!”
It’s also important to the star to make sure his children regularly get out of LA. Simon and Rebecca return to Australia as often as possible. The doting dad is also careful not to over-commit himself when he’s not working because the hours on The Mentalist are intense. “I don’t even get a chance to think about that,” he says of the pressures of the job. “Sometimes when I get to the end of the week, I’m exhausted. But when I’m at work, I’m at work. Whether I am laying bricks or washing my car, I focus on that. That’s how I approach it. I know I’m really lucky to be in this situation.”
Although it’s not the first time he has played a starring role, The Mentalist‘s popularity has meant dealing with much higher expectations. He is up for a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV Drama Series.
The fame, he says, “is something you don’t ever really get used to.” But in spite of his dizzying success, Simon says his approach to work has never changed. He’s the same person he always was. “on set, people don’t tiptoe around worrying about anyone’s feelings; it’s just very straight-up. And that suits my sense of Australian-ness because I’m a pretty straight-up person.”
