Jason Bateman at "The Outsider" Los Angeles Premiere

Jason Bateman Calls His 1987 Self 'Douchey,' Talks 'Ozark' Finale

Home / Entertainment / Jason Bateman Calls His 1987 Self 'Douchey,' Talks 'Ozark' Finale

By Fiyin Olowokandi on April 23, 2022 at 3:00 AM PDT

Jason Bateman is an award-winning American actor who has quite the acting experience as he has been in the entertainment industry since the 1980s.

Bateman began his acting career in 1980 as James Cooper on the NBC show "Little House on the Prairie" and has been featured in several other noteworthy productions.

The remarkable actor recently made a guest appearance on the "Good Morning America" show, where he discussed his past and the upcoming concluding episodes of the drama series "Ozark."

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Jason Bateman Hopes Fans Love New Episodes Of The "Ozark" Series

Jason Bateman at Emmy Awards 2019: PRESS ROOM - Los Angeles
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The program began with one of the presenters noting Bateman’s accolades from his numerous acts and then asking the guest if he remembered the last time he was on the show.

The notable performer did recollect the past moment on the program in 2018 when there was quite an audience present to witness the star’s presence.

Another host wondered if he recalled the first time he joined them on the show in 1987 when he was still making his way in the entertainment industry.

Speaking of Bateman’s 1987 self, a clip of him in that year appeared on the screen where he mentioned that he did not really have time for school and he was not "a big school fan."

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The video further showed him describing acting as something he could not "lie back on," but he would take it as far as he could, provided it kept on being fun.

Moving back to Bateman’s present self, he jokingly remarked on the funny clip, "It’s so painful to see how douchey one is at a young age."

The presenters could not stop laughing about his "school statement" in the throwback video, and the movie star noted that he was so confident back then, which one of the hosts believed he had reason to be.

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Further discussions progressed onto the "Ozark" and how fans would react to the last chapter of the season finale.

As you may know, the drama series centers on Marty (acted by Bateman) and Wendy Byrde’s relocation with their two kids from Chicago to the Ozarks and their involvement with a Mexican drug cartel.

The Golden Globe awardee hoped viewers would love what the "incredible writing staff" had created as they closed up a couple of loose ends in the storyline and with the characters.

He continued, "We tried to create kind of a bittersweet ending like a good ending but with a little bit of like uh well 'is it a good ending,' so, hopefully, that’s a good tease."

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A snippet of the final chapter of the Netflix show then appeared, showing Marty, the patriarch of the Byrde family, talking to his wife about their joint interest in the drug business.

Despite Marty’s connection with the drug cartel, laundering money, and having a hand in killing people, fans still loved the character, and one of the show’s presenters wondered why.

The 53-year-old producer had no direct reason but stated, "Anytime [Marty] does anything mean or criminal, I try to make him a little bit dumb, a little bit guilty about it."

He further stated that the character was the type who thought he was more intelligent than he actually was, so adding a little doubt to any of his actions in the film could have triggered "some kind of empathy" from the viewers.

The "Arrested Development" Star Expresses Remorse For Wrongfully Defending Castmate

Jason Bateman goes to a Dodgers baseball playoff game against the Braves
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In 2018, The Blast reported that Bateman apologized for defending Jeffrey Tambor, one of the cast members of "Arrested Development," who verbally abused another castmate Jessica Walter during production.

The Satellite Awards recipient realized he downplayed the slander after "hearing people’s thoughts online" and listening to The New York Times interview that promoted the show's forthcoming season.

Tambor previously admitted to allegations about him insulting Walter and Bateman defended the former "Transparent" star by describing the disapproving action as expected in the entertainment industry.

The “Hancock” actor seemed apologetic for his past deed as he expressed how deeply sorry he was to Walter in a lengthy apology statement.

The message began, "It sounds like I’m condoning yelling at work. I do not. It sounds like I'm excusing Jeffery. I do not. It sounds like I'm insensitive to Jessica. I am not. In fact, I'm horrified that I wasn’t more aware of how this incident affected her."

Bateman further stated that he was embarrassed about what he had done to Walter, and he should have focused on the abuse itself, which was an inexcusable act.

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