IS fame a blessing or a curse? Robin Tunney should know as one of the stars of The Mentalist, one of the most successful US dramas of recent years.

“It’s weird because I have a pretty wonderful charmed life,” she admits. “I did my first movies when the internet wasn’t so pronounced and there weren’t photographers everywhere. I had a great time being in my twenties in New York, and it was never overwhelming.”

While co-star Simon Baker honing his craft in Australian shows such as Home and Away and Heartbreak High, Chicago- born Tunney dipped her toe in projects such as California Man, Law & Order and Empire Records. Solid if not star-making work.

“I never had one of those moments where one day I hadn’t done anything and the next day everybody knew who I was,” she says. “It was a sort of slow and steady build, and I’m still lucky whether it’s a nicer restaurant or you check into a hotel and they might give you a nicer room but I’ve had a different sort of trajectory, and it’s been very balanced.”

The likes of Keira Knightley and Charlize Theron may juggle their time between making movies and selling the latest fragrance, but Ms Tunney doesn’t mind being on the fringes of that world.

“I’ve never been so famous that I got paid millions of dollars to do perfume ads, but it’s been a pretty great life for me,” she says.

“I’ve been pretty appreciative. I think I’ve got the perfect level where I’ve gotten to do what I love and earn a nice, comfortable living and still not had people sleeping outside my house. It’s been great.”

Back to The Mentalist and those playing catch-up since the last series, Patrick Jane (Baker) sought refuge on a tropical island and has been tempted back to the US with the promise of immunity from prosecution over Red John’s murder. So now our charismatic hero and buddy Teresa Lisbon (Tunney) are back together.

This week, the tea-loving sleuth joins a commune to investigate the curious case of a US attorney. Her body was found in Mexico, but there was no record of her crossing the border.

Meanwhile, Van Pelt and Rigsby try to convince former boss JJ LaRoche to help them discover who is hunting ex-CBI members such as Kimball Cho (played by Tim Kang).