German InStyle Magazine

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"Mr. Nice Guy"

- Actor Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”, “I Give It A Year”) preserved his rough Australian charme in Hollywood. He loves rugby, beer, jeans, flip-flops and likes to swear occasionally - as long as his children aren’t near by.

Simon Baker is as elegant as Patrick Jane in the TV series “The Mentalist”, in which he plays a man with psychic abilities. He’s sitting in his penthouse suite 64 in the Chateau Marmont hotel in LA in proper style with a suit of his advertising partner Givenchy, talking about the new fragrance “Gentlemen Only”. And because he’s not sitting in front of the camera, he talks without his fake American accent, but in the slang of his homeland Australia, including some “bloody” and “fucking great” expressions. He’s a gentleman with rough charm.

Q: Russel Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Mel Gibson, Sam Washington, the Hemsworth-brothers and you - all Aussies with a successful Hollywood career. What’s so special about the “Aussies”?

Simon: In Australia, everything is easy-going. They’re much more relaxed in certain things. I spent a big part of my teenage days at the beach surfing, drank a beer with friends or checked out pretty girls in bikinis. We never thought about which brands, haircuts or cars are in - the important thing was they had to have some space for your surfboard. I don’t know if Australian men are cooler than others, but they’re really more relaxed.

Q: Still, you changed from the surfer boy to the stylish gentleman.

Simon: I learned a lot about fashion here in Hollywood. When I came to LA in 1995, I really had a thing for these leather-sport jackets with the emblem of university football teams. My wife didn’t like it. But I was never one of these guys who only shop in surfer stores either. Of course I like jeans and flip-flops in everyday life, but I also like to wear a nice suit and leather shoes from time to time.

Q: You’re the face of the advertising campaign for the new fragrance “Gentlemen Only” by Givenchy. What’s important when you’re a gentleman?

Simon: You have to be one without trying too hard. It’s some kind of philosophy for life. Either you got it or you don’t. There are different definitions of “gentleman”. Frank Sinatra or Dean Marting fulfilled this image probably because of their elegance. To me, it’s the old-fashioned little things, like courtesy or paying attention which help you to be a gentleman. Carrying the umbrella for a woman for example. Stuff like this.

Q: Is a gentleman allowed to misbehave?

Simon: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. misbehaved all the time, but they’re still associated with being perfect gentlemen. I’m not perfect myself. I do tell little dirty jokes sometimes, but not when my kids are near by. They still have the picture of me being the perfect exemplary dad.  (laughs)

Q: The godmothers of your sons are Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman - both Australian actresses. Is there some kind of “Aussi clique” in Hollywood?

Simon: Of course. The British guy also hang around together. Being with them, is like a piece of home. Nicole and Naomi are two really good friends. It helps a lot when you know there are people who understand you because you’re from the same cultural background. In LA, you always have to be politically correct, but when the Aussies are together, you can talk freely, without fearing you offended someone.

Q: The TV series “The Mentalist” is still a hit after six seasons. You’re playing a police consultant who solves crimes with his psychic abilities. Do you believe in supernatural powers?

Simon: I’m still not sure about that. Once I visited a fortune teller, who tried to tell be about my future with tarot cards. When I think about it, none of what she said really happened. I’m more realistic and like to make my own destiny.

Q: A TV magazine once called you “hottest man in US TV”. How do you deal with headlines like these?

Simon: They’re very embarrassing. But I’m an Aussie, so we like to look at it from a more sarcastic angle. In the US, you take this more seriously. They always congratulated me on set!

Q: What do you do to keep your good looks?

Simon: After every day of shooting, I wash the make-up off my face and use a body lotion against dry skin, which my wife recommended. Otherwise, I don’t use cosmetic products at all. I’m not very vain.

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