Jason Bateman has always been one of my favorite actors. Ever since first familiarizing myself with him through the short-lived, but critically acclaimed TV show Arrested Development, I’ve eagerly awaited all of his projects, always excited to see what he’ll do next. He’s incredibly funny, and not many people play the straight man role as well as he does. I don’t know what it is, but something about his dry humor just really works on me.
Recent years have been particularly kind to the actor, as he’s experiencing a career resurgence of sorts due to his last couple projects. With huge hits like Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief and the fourth season of the aforementioned Arrested Development, Bateman is on a roll, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. For his latest film, Bad Words, not only does he deliver yet another blisteringly funny performance, but he also makes his directorial debut.
At the recent 2014 South by Southwest film festival, I had the chance to sit down for an exclusive video interview with the actor/director. Over the course of our discussion, Bateman spoke about why he wanted to direct so badly, what drew him to the project, and of course, what the future holds for Arrested Development.
Check it out in the video above and be sure to catch Bad Words when it begins its limited release this Friday.
