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Jason Batemanstill remembers a scathing review that accused him of having "the aggressive blandness of an airline gate agent," when the Netflix series debuted in 2017.
"I got a terrible review fromThe New York Timeson the pilot ofOzark," Bateman toldEsquirein an interview published Monday. "Mike Hale basically said I was so boring to watch, it reminded him of the person that he buys a ticket from in the airport. I laughed my ass off. I appreciate those that get creative with it."
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Hale also wrotethat the actor "isn't really able to make a compelling character out of the blankly craven Marty," while praising Bateman's costar Laura Linney as the show's "saving grace."
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Bateman, who's acted since he was a child on shows such asLittle House on the PrairieandSilver Spoons, explained that he didn't just happen to see the evaluation of his work. He had been on the lookout for it.
"I am a people pleaser. I care about what people think about me. I read all the reviews," Bateman told the magazine. "I am doing these projects for public consumption, so it matters to me what the public thinks about them. It matters to me what critics think about them."
He added, "But what's most important is that the weather inside is 72 and breezy. It takes a lot of work to stay happy, to stay clear, and to be proud of yourself. You can try to drink through it, but you're sober in the morning and you got to live in those hours too."
Even so, Bateman can take heart in the fact that he was nominated four times for his acting in the drama, which also costarred Julia Garner, Lisa Emery, and Charlie Tahan. (He ended up winning in 2019 for directing an episode. Garner won the show's other three.)
The series followed the story of his character Marty Byrde, a financial adviser who moved his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks in order to launder money for a drug boss.
Bateman is also known for TV'sArrested Development, in which he played Michael Bluth, as well as movies such asHorrible Bosses,Game Night, andZootopia.
Ozarkis available to stream on Netflix.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
