Jason Bateman Fills in the Blanks With 'Bad Words' Mad Libs

Jason Bateman may have been a dynamite actor as a child, but a dynamite speller? Eh, not so much.

"I was not a great speller. I was in one spelling bee when I was a little kid. I lost early to the word ‘answer.’ I dropped that tricky W," Bateman told “Today” while doing the promotional rounds for his new film “Bad Words,” which opens in limited release this weekend.

In the R-rated comedy, Bateman takes on his feature film directorial debut while playing prickly Guy Trilby, a middle-aged loner with a chip on his shoulder. Because he’s a petulant, underdeveloped jerk, Guy exploits a loophole in the nationally televised Golden Quill Spelling Bee and sets his sights on taking out the competition by any means necessary. And with that competition comprised of a bunch of pre-teen kids, there are many, many inappropriate laughs.

[Related: The ‘Bad Words’ That Jason Bateman and a Rooster Have in Common]

Since we were seeking even further laughs, and since we felt bad about Bateman’s track record with word games, we gave Bateman a shot at redemption by playing “Bad Words Mad Libs.” As you can see in the video above, redemption may not be the right word, but we did have a really good time playing.

Bateman did have all the right words when we visited the Hollywood set of “Bad Words” at the end of 2012 (along with a select group of other journalists). As you’d expect from a man who’s been in the business since childhood, Bateman knows his way around an interview.

Why “Bad Words”?
Jason Bateman: The short, boring answer is that I thought it was really funny and had a comedic tone I kind of understand. Things that make me laugh were in this script so I thought it would be a good fit. It seemed like something that I could handle because I didn’t want to take a too bigger swing. I didn’t want to be too obnoxious either with what I was asking for. I didn’t want to go marching into a studio and ask them for $30 million to direct a movie with a bunch of effects. This is a small black comedy for under 10 [million].

How did you decide to act in the film?
I originally didn’t want to act in it because I wanted to be able to just focus on the directing and I thought it would be a good part to attract a good actor that would be appealing to the financier. Then ultimately, I thought well, I might be making my job easier if I don’t have to direct the lead actor. There’s a kind of a tricky tone with this movie because the character I’m playing is so sort of prickly and acerbic and if that guy’s not likeable than you’re kind of lost. So I hope that I’m playing him in a way that’s likeable but also prickly.

[Related: Jason Bateman Is About to Unleash Some ‘Bad Words’ in the Poster Reveal]

You’ve kind of made a career out of making some prickly characters likable.
Oh good.

You’re constantly scheming as an actor, why do you gravitate to roles like that?
I was a big Archie Bunker fan growing up and on paper that guy said some really nasty things. Even [“Taxi’s”] Louie de Palma, but there was something about the way that they played it in their eyes and in their body language that made it OK, that they were coming from a place of ignorance instead of anger or intolerance. That’s an interesting kind of combination to play. Because inherent in that is the character’s vulnerability. If they’re not that smart or if they’re insecure, or vulnerable and because of that they are acting out and being sort of prickly.

To me that’s kind of interesting. For me one of the keys to make an audience laugh is if you’re showing some flaws and your pants are down. There’s nothing funny about a guy who’s got it all together. I like that angle of making people laugh. Sort of acting like you’re more confident than you actually are.

[Photos: ‘Bad Words’ Movie Posters and Stills]

So this is your first directorial feature despite being in the DGA at the age of 18, what took you so long?
Well, they don’t hand out a lot of movies to direct so there’s that. I did a good bit of episodic television directing, but directing a movie is so much more complicated. And there’s so much more responsibility because the medium is very much a director’s medium.

So it’s a different job, so truthfully, if I had done this any earlier I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I’m having now. I’m sure when I direct a film 10 years from now, I’ll be having even more fun than I’m having now.

I’m surrounded by talented craftsmen, technicians; people who are super skilled at their job and if you know a little bit of what you’re doing you can take full advantage of what they have to offer. You can have one department compliment another department. It’s like you’re conducting an orchestra where you’ve got all these different instruments and you decide at what level those instruments are going to play because you’re going to play this one higher or lower and you don’t even know how to play those instruments but you know combined together you will make a proper sound.

See Jason Bateman in the theatrical trailer for “Bad Words”: