Jason Bateman is on triple duty as the director, actor, and executive producer for the Netflix series Ozark. Recently, Bateman sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the series, and how wearing three hats at once has affected his work process. "By doing more than the acting, it allows me, I hope, to hit this tonal target that I wanted to when I read the first two episodes, which were the ones that were written," he began.
"I wanted to direct a 600-page movie. I said, 'I'll do it if they let me direct all the episodes,' because I just love this world," he continued. "I wanted to be able to figure out what it looked like, what it sounded like, and I knew that by playing the central character, by having two hands on the wheel, one in front of the camera, one behind, it might increase my odds of hitting that little target."
"The things I'm drawn to say yes to are less about the role," Bateman told THR, "even the script as a whole, it's about the people who are doing it. When I feel like I really want to work with someone, it's usually pretty indicative of the quality of the projects, the people that you associate yourself with. I don't care if I have three lines to say in it or 30, it's more about who's directing it, who are the other actors, what's the studio, and is it something that I would want to go see as a viewer just because of its quality or its ambition."
Check out the full interview below.
