Jason Bateman apologizes following disastrous 'Arrested Development' interview
The New York Times Arrested Development cast interview that spread like wildfire Wednesday apparently shook up at least one person of note: Cast member Jason Bateman, who apologized in a series of tweets Thursday morning.
Bateman received specific blowback to the interview for jumping to the defense of Jeffrey Tambor (who was fired from Transparent over allegations of sexual harassment) while Jessica Walter recalled a time when he verbally abused her, years ago. Online, people criticized Bateman for cutting her off, for mansplaining, and for being complicit in a Hollywood culture that condones such behavior in the workplace.
"I’m incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica," Bateman wrote in one of four tweets. "This is a big learning moment for me. I shouldn’t have tried so hard to mansplain, or fix a fight, or make everything okay."
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Tony Hale, who took a similar position in the Times interview but spoke far less than Bateman, also issued an apology.
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Bateman's tweets (which he needs to learn to thread) contain something we haven't seen a lot from the men of Hollywood: An apology. Instead of just expressing willingness to listen, he tells us what he actually did learn from this experience. One hopes that he'll act on it, and move forward in his career with new ideology; that the next time he's in a room with a Walter and a Tambor or some situational equivalent, he'll listen to both of them rather than instinctively defending the man under scrutiny.
"There’s never any excuse for abuse, in any form, from any gender. And, the victim’s voice needs to be heard and respected. Period," Bateman said before apologizing again.
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Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.