Simon Baker digs into meaty 'Mentalist' role

Simon Baker would be the first to acknowledge that in his television career, the third time's all about the charm.

In "The Mentalist," Baker stars as Patrick Jane, a beguiling fake psychic turned consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation.

Baker allowed that Patrick has a bit of a used-car-salesman air of confidence and manipulation. While Patrick's methods often leave his colleagues in a state of amused -- or annoyed -- bewilderment, Patrick has a knack for coercing secrets or confessions out of even the most unwilling subjects.

"He's an unprocedural character that has to live in the procedural world," Baker said.

Patrick transitioned to that nontraditional role when his career as a psychic medium ended after a family tragedy. He decided to turn his understanding of human nature and powers of observation into tools for justice.

Baker said he was undaunted by having to depict a hyperaware character whose thinking process unfolds before the audience.

"I've had a bit more problem with the showmanship side of it, because I haven't really played roles like that," he said.

"The watchful stuff is easy for me. Easier for me. Easy," Baker paused, then added, laughing, "None of it's easy for me!"

Baker talked (using a hands-free device) about his character, shooting in California and other topics on a recent morning while he drove to work:

Q: CBS picked up "The Mentalist" for a full season, and it's doing well in the ratings. How does that feel?

A: When I read the script, I believed in it. When we made the pilot, I believed in it even more, and I thought the show had a shot, because I thought it was a good show. But that doesn't always necessarily mean that people will watch it. I'm just grateful that people are entertained by it and seem to enjoy it.

Q: Why do you think the show has resonated with people?

A: I think it's really because it fits into a formula that people are familiar with -- that being the crime procedural format -- but it still balances character in a good way, and humor, and it has a sort of darkness about it all at the same time.

Q: Patrick is a guy who has had tragedy in his life. How do you reconcile that with how he hams it up by, say, building sand castles on the beach where he's investigating a murder?

A: I think different people deal with enormous loss in different ways. ... This character, he uses humor as sort of a shield. I think behind the guise, behind the clown face there's a lot of pain. ... The few comedians that I've met in my life seem pretty dark.

Q: Patrick is often the thorn in the side of CBI agent Teresa Lisbon. How do you see that relationship evolving?

A: She does get annoyed by me, but at the same time she can't imagine not having me there as well. ... I think that's a kind of interesting male-female sort of role-play on this show. It's not the obvious, like she's crazy about him and he's crazy about her and there'll always be sort of unrequited love.

Q: How important are the scenic locales to the feel of the show?

A: The show's in California, and that's totally by design. ... I grew up watching "Columbo" and [other] shows, and Columbo would be in different parts of California all the time, and it was kind of great to see that. It was representative of the state as a whole, not just on a back lot all the time.

Q: Why keep going back to TV?

A: I took a year off after [CBS' Ray Liotta drama] "Smith" and just sort of moved around a lot with my family. ... And I did a commercial with Martin Scorsese, and it was a like a 10-minute-long short film. ... He's really inspiring to me, and his passion for what he does and the amount of years and what he's achieved and how passionate he still is about working and filmmaking. And after that I thought, "You know what? I gotta work."