1/18/2024 0 Comments Jason bateman spelling bee“For better or worse, every single take that actor does is going to be exactly as if that actor is reading my mind. “And I also thought it might make my workload a little bit lighter, the fact that I don’t have to direct the lead actor,” Bateman added. After reaching out to some higher-profile stars - “a couple big swings,” he said - he realized he should take on the part himself. “But then I thought, wait a minute, I was one of those weirdos.”Īt first Bateman had planned not to act in the film. “I had this moment of revelation where I thought, what a bunch of weirdos,” Dodge said. Dodge came up with the idea after watching the popular spelling bee documentary “Spellbound.” It was a subject he could relate to especially when he thought back to his days as a member of the high school debating team. The film marks the debut for writer Andrew Dodge, who previously worked in a studio story department, and the script made the “Black List” of best unproduced screenplays in 2011. PHOTOS: Ten who were stars by the age of 10 The Hollywood Reporter referred to it as “probably the most effective pipe bomb of misanthropic comedy since ‘Bad Santa’,” and Variety called it “exuberantly foul-mouthed and mean-spirited.” “Bad Words” premiered last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was picked up by Focus Features, and also just played at the South by Southwest Film Festival. “I’m not Daniel Day-Lewis, so the roles that I would take on, if I were to be responsible and not over-reach, are roles that would not present as much of a challenge to me as directing a film.” “Not to take anything away from acting, maybe it’s because I’ve been doing it so long, but I’m not as excited about it,” Bateman added. It’s a tightly packed box with a consistent tone of dark humor - the movie knows what it is.īateman spent his teen years on television, having first appeared on “Little House on the Prairie” before starring on shows such as “Silver Spoons.” He joined the Directors Guild of America at 18 after directing a few episodes of “The Hogan Family.” By his own description, his 20s were “a swale,” and it wasn’t until the “life jacket” of “Arrested Development” in his early 30s that he got another shot at success. “Bad Words” co-stars Kathryn Hahn as a sketchy journalist who is both sponsoring Guy in the competition and trying to crack his story, Rohan Chand as a young contestant who tries to befriend Guy and Allison Janney and Philip Baker Hall as the beleaguered contest officials. Those expecting a family-friendly spoof of spelling bees are in for something of a shock - this is a very R-rated comedy with a nasty edge. As Guy Trilby, a foul-mouthed cynic who sets out to sabotage a national spelling bee by taking advantage of a loophole that allows him to compete, Bateman is the one doing the aggravating this time as opposed to being put-upon - he’s a meaner version of himself. His screen persona as the aggrieved, self-aware everyman, smart enough to see the absurdities of his situation but not wise enough to fix them, is an extension of the one he created on the small-screen with the cult favorite “Arrested Development.”īateman’s lead role in “Bad Words” also signals a shift on screen as well as behind the camera. The shift comes at a time when Bateman could hardly be more relevant as an actor, coming as close to being a bona-fide movie star as he has ever been, on the backs of successes such as last year’s “Identity Thief” or “Horrible Bosses” before that.
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