Patrick & Teresa Jane

Dashing Australian actor Simon Baker is best known for his starring role as Patrick Jane in the hit American TV crime drama The Mentalist, which ended a seven-season run last year.

He has also had notable film credits, including roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Margin Call.

He briefly visited Dubai on Thursday, June 2 to promote Absolute, the newest scent in Givenchy’s Gentlemen Only range.

The 46-year-old was en route back to his homeland where he is making his directorial debut with the film Breath.

We chatted to the star about his career, the prospect of revisiting The Mentalist and his involvement in the creation of Givenchy’s new woody, oriental scent.

Welcome to the UAE, Simon – will you have any time to see the sights while in town?

Thank you. Sadly not – I have just flown in from Paris and leave for Australia in the morning. Since I’ve arrived all I’ve had time for is a swim, a massage and that’s about it.

A “mentalist" could be described as a master manipulator of thoughts and behaviour – skills that your character in the show used to help police solve crimes. Did you pick up any tricks/tips or sharpen your mental acuity while making The Mentalist?

Yeah, a lot of them. There’s an element of NLP – neuro-linguistic programming – that takes place when you’re an actor. You have to meet someone and straight away create a relationship with them, for example – one that never existed. You have to do it convincingly, so there is a shorthand to understanding the different energy people have. It allows you to make a connection. Also, I did a fair bit of research into that “world" before I even shot the pilot of The Mentalist. And really, the reality was that the show had very little mentalism in it after the first season. Perhaps the writers got too puzzled by it and found it too difficult.

The Mentalist ended after seven years last year – might it return in some form?

I hope not. [laughs] It’s done and it needs to be left where it is. Look, I know Prison Break and The X-Files have been brought back – and I’d never say never – but sometimes I think a series can run its course and complete its story.

How did your partnership with Givenchy come about?

Givenchy approached me about four years ago and explained the story about Gentlemen Only, which was originally launched in 1975 by Hubert de Givenchy. They showed me the old advertising, which was chic and classic – quite different to the Givenchy we know today, which can be quite audacious and cheeky. Never before had I imagined myself being involved with a fashion house, or working with fragrances, but I liked Givenchy’s idea to re-release the fragrance and keep its classical roots.

Did your role in The Devil Wears Prada give you any industry insight or help prepare you for allying with the iconic maison de Givenchy?

No, not really, but a great experience I had with that film was seeing the dynamic between the grande dame, Meryl Streep, and Anne Hathaway, who was a lot younger then and very ambitious. Anne was so good and very keen, with a burgeoning career – so that was interesting to watch.

How involved were you in the olfactory process?

I talked to Givenchy throughout the whole process and a lot of the fragrances in the range are based on smells that I have an association with. Gentlemen Only Absolute, I like a lot, for example, because of its earthy sandalwood, vanilla and bergamot notes. Whereas Gentlemen Only Casual Chic is a lot lighter and fresher, with more citrusy notes. When a scent starts to smell ordinary after an hour of wearing it, it has no character – and I don’t like that. This range, however, has top notes that evaporate sooner [making it more evident] which is great.

You sound like an experienced nose.

I do, don’t I? It’s been fascinating to learn about the science and strategy behind the smells.

You have turned your hand to directing, with a screen adaptation of Tim Winton’s best-­selling novel Breath. When might we see it released?

Yes, I’ve just finished directing and filming it in Australia and now I’m about to start editing it. I don’t have a release date yet, as it’s still continuing. It’s an interesting “rites of passage" film about two teenage boys – it’s a movie all about identity.

SourceJune 4, 2016

Australian actor Simon Baker, star of TV crime drama The Mentalist and the movie The Devil Wears Prada, paid a flying visit to the UAE on July 2 to promote Givenchy’s latest fragrance for men.

Gentlemen Only Absolute – a spicy, oriental fragrance with notes of sandalwood, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron – will be available in the UAE in the coming months.

Check out our main interview with the actor here – and enjoy this an additional quick-fire q&a.

What characteristics do you have that complement Givenchy’s Gentlemen Only range?

Well, for me, it was important that Givenchy didn’t have greater expectations of me than I could reach (laughs). And as soon as I met a few of the main people there, it was pretty clear that they were happy with me being myself. So that’s what you see sitting in front of you. I’m just a straightforward person, really. Apart from that, I don’t know – gosh, I don’t know who I am. Perhaps I’m not that self aware (laughs).

Have scents always been important to you?

My olfactory system is very much linked to emotion, smells trigger certain emotions for me. I never really wore fragrances until my early 20s but now, I believe in their familiarity – it makes me feel comfortable. It’s like when you find the perfect T-shirt, for example. You’ll have a backup of two or three more for when it wears out. Fragrances are like that for me. They fit me, as opposed to me trying to fit them.

Would you describe yourself as a gentleman?

I certainly aspire to be a gentleman and it’s certainly the way I was brought up. I know it’s a pretty old-fashioned term and the marketing campaign for this range idealises me as being a gentlemen in regards to women – but personally, you can take gender out of it. It’s a willingness to be aware of others and to always be courteous.

You’ve said you’re not inclined to take part in any revival of The Mentalist but the show was part of a genre that endures in popularity. What do you make of similar shows that followed it – such as Elementary, for example?

Yes, well Elementary was pretty much the reimagining of Sherlock Holmes – but it was completely stolen from The Mentalist. I remember thinking that when it came out.

Is imitation the highest form of flattery in that regard then?

Ah yes, of course, I’ve no problem with that at all.

When not in your native Australia, what do you miss most about it?

Definitely nature.

Where will your next holiday be?

I’ll be in Tokyo.

What are you reading?

John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

How do you like to unwind?

It’s actually quite hard for me, but I do like to have a swim and a lie down. I like what water does for me – to me. From surfing or being in the ocean, even just taking a shower or being in a bath – there’s something that happens to me when I immerse myself in water. When I come out of the water, I feel different – it’s a great mood adjuster.

What question do you tire of being asked?

Wow, there are heaps. I can’t even start listing them and I certainly don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. (laughs)

What would your fans be surprised to learn about you?

That I’m actually quite boring. I’m getting more boring the older I get (laughs).

• Givenchy’s Gentlemen Only Absolute will be available in the UAE in the coming months at leading perfume retailers. www.givenchybeauty.com

Today’s rewatch episode is a special one for me and stands out as one of my most favorite Jisbon-centric episodes in a Jisbon-centric season. I loved it instantly when I watched it, from beginning to end.

I enjoy Lisbon and Jane planning things together, sharing the same space every day both at work and in their lovetruck – and never getting tired of each other’s company, quite on the contrary, they are genuinely enjoying every minute together. And them sharing such a cramped place as the Airstream is a vivid illustration, they need this closeness.

And it is paralleled by how much closer they are becoming every time as they share things that have been with them for years, voicing something so deeply personal because they feel the comfort to do so, their trust to each other is superior to any fears. When Lisbon gives Jane his cup, she lets him know at once that she never in her mind moved on, though she was forcing herself to move on with another man. That she kept the cup for two years having no hope of seeing Jane again, that she was attached to it as a reminder of him because it kept his warmth, and that she wanted it put together again because seeing it broken had probably meant feeling that Jane was broken too, beyond repair, hopeless, and she didn’t want that for him. Putting the pieces back together was for her a gesture of hope, of a possibility for both of them to be mended somehow. And keeping the cup was having part of what they’d shared with her, and also a symbol of her care, deep worry for him and unconditional love. Giving it back to him, she lets him know about all of that. And there is a picture on the box, and I can see not only a heart but also two swans, symbolic for them. It’s a profound manifestation of love and it’s plain to see how the understanding of it washes over Jane like a wave, and he’s surprised, he’s touched and moved so deeply, it’s hard for him to speak.

Does anyone else love the fact that these two never lose eye contact for a solid ten seconds? I wouldn’t even be able to manage that for a couple of seconds, let alone ten, without it getting incredibly uncomfortable. 

MY GOD they must care about each other a lot.

Guys, let’s try to keep it together, okay? ↳6.08 - Red John