Kyle Arensdorf
By Kyle Arensdorf
karensdorf@kykernel.com
Jason Bateman stars in and makes his directorial debut with “Bad Words,” a film about a man who forces his way into a children’s spelling bee to exact revenge for his childhood loss. “Bad Words” hits theaters Friday. Here are a few takeaways from my conference call with Bateman.
How was directing different from acting as an artistic outlet?
“Well, with acting you’re trying to convince people you’re someone different, and with directing you’re trying to create a totally fake world for the audience and trying to shape an experience for that audience with what they see, what they hear, what they feel. I was really excited about that challenge of taking on more responsibility.”
You seem to always play a good guy, or a really sweet character. Your acting in this film is a departure from that. How did you switch gears to play this role?
“I mean, I know how to be a jerk. We all have that guy in us, and you hope that you can keep that person under wraps. I understand a level of frustration and petulance that brings about your worst side. I know what it’s like to feel taxed and not at your best, so that’s the part I had to get into right before each scene.”
You decided to take on the main role of Guy yourself. Did your vision for the character change at all after you made that decision?
“I was adequately confident that I could make him likable enough, only because I’ve been playing the straight man, the middle man, the protagonist for quite a while now. So I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve about how to look vulnerable, or confused, or nervous, etc.”
I’ve heard that overtly violent or overtly crude movies that feature young actors have a lot of editing done so the children aren’t exposed to too much of that. Did you and your editors find yourselves trying to keep it more PG-13 for the kids?
“No, not really. This movie is a hard R, and we didn’t surprise anybody on the set. Everybody gets the script before they decide to come in and audition to be in the movie. It’s their choice. But saying a dirty word here or there, or looking at a woman’s breasts? I mean, come on. People are sunbathing without tops on in Europe, and that continent’s not pumping out a bunch of adolescent murderers left and right.”