The mind-reading detective from The Mentalist, the face of Givenchy Gentlemen Only Intense, is all Gentleman Simon Baker.
Our entire editorial office is in love with you, avidly watching everything that comes out with you, even advertising. Are you really as perfect a gentleman as in the ad for Givenchy Gentlemen Only Intense?
I'm not perfect at all! But for me the very concept of "gentleman" is very important. Many people perceive it as something old-fashioned. And I think this is a timeless idea. In the old days, a gentleman had to be born. And now any man can become one, and that's great.
What is a gentleman's behavior to you?
Chivalry, caring, respect are very simple things, aren't they? In the first Givenchy video, shot a year ago for the Gentleman Only fragrance, my character gives his umbrella to a girl who is soaked in the rain. Isn't that the most natural gesture?
Yeah, but in the video filmed for a new, "stronger" version of the fragrance, you take the bull by the horns: the girl is frozen, and you throw your jacket over her shoulders
Exactly. Wouldn't any normal person do the same?
Hmm, but this is definitely a manifestation of knightly qualities, and not a scene of seduction?
What's the matter with you? Do your men help you and take care of you only if they want to drag you to bed?
Isn't a man courting a woman in order to win her favor?
People have lost the habit of gentlemanly behavior, they immediately look for the catch. Today, everyone lives with the feeling that every human contact is just "you to me, I to you." But when I was filming, I had no doubts: my hero took care of the girl disinterestedly. He doesn't need her gratitude or her phone number.
Seriously?
Absolutely! If you remove the floor from this situation, what will remain? Normal human behavior will remain. I put my jacket over the girl’s shoulders because she’s cold. You need to help people and not expect anything in return. This is what modern gentlemen is.
The Australian "mafia" of Hollywood sticks together: Nicole Kidman is the godmother of Baker's eldest son, Claude, and Naomi Watts baptized the youngest, Harry.
And yet, I'm afraid feminists will say that all this gallantry is nothing but sexism
Anything can be. I am married to a very strong woman (Actress Rebecca Rigg. - Ed.). I think she may well call herself a feminist. And my 20-year-old daughter Stella is also a very strong woman, and she certainly considers herself a feminist. But at the same time, both want to be loved and feel protected. And it is important for me to be a man who takes care of his family. But my daughter and I are constantly arguing about all this. And no wonder: she is a student, studying philosophy, and one of her main subjects is gender studies. If you listen to it, then everything I just said is complete nonsense!
Is it difficult being the father of a 20-year-old girl? What advice do you give her about relationships?
(Laughs.) She would never ask me for advice! But to my sons (Claude is 15 and Harry is 12) I try to set a good example.
You got married early, but managed to be like dates?
Oh, I was terrible! I was born and raised on the ocean. I had a typical Australian youth: surfing, rugby, noisy companies, dancing. I was the kind of guy who likes girls terribly. All, many, very different girls. I… I still love them. I think women are amazing! In my youth, I had time to have fun. Parties, new girlfriends - that's how they spend their time at 20, right? But I didn’t have fun for long, at 22 my adult life began. And that's okay too - you make a choice because you want to be with the woman you love. Although now it seems to me incredibly courageous - at the time when Stella was born to us, Rebecca and I ourselves were almost children … But children are fearless. And it is right!
In the comedy "I Give a Year", your hero shows: there is nothing easier than destroying a family. But you've managed to make your marriage lasting and lasting. What's your secret?
There is no secret! If you want your marriage to last, it will last. You invest in it every day if you don't want to lose your loved one.
You advertise men's perfume. Do you use it yourself?
A perfume should not overpower a man's own scent. The same with men's clothing: it should emphasize the personality of a man, but not overshadow him. I like Gentlemen Only Intense, it's comfortable with him. It is like a good wine - the aroma unfolds on your skin gradually, evolves with you.
After "The Mentalist" it's scary to talk to you - what if you read your mind?
Not yet. But Patrick Jane's profession is similar to mine: for an actor, pauses are also very important, when looks and facial expressions convey more than words. Over the six years of filming in The Mentalist, I have learned to be more attentive to what I convey to the viewer and to how my partners behave on the set. I did not become a mentalist, but I began to feel the emotions of other people better, I learned to read between the lines.
You directed several episodes of this series …
It was interesting for me to try what it is like to be on the other side. And it worked out well, so I think to continue.
If you're so into directing, wouldn't your fans see you on screen less often?
Now is definitely not the time to give up acting, the deepest roles are those of mature men. Much more interesting than playing cute boys. It's great being an adult.
Interviewed by Daria Rybina
