ZOOTOPIA 2 Star Jason Bateman Covers ESQUIRE’s Winter Issue

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JASON BATEMAN is the cover star of ESQUIRE’s Winter “Meaning of Life” issue, an annual event that features wisdom and advice from a variety of interesting people—because don’t we all need some of that right now? At 56, the former child star has achieved success as an actor, director, and podcaster. He makes it look easy—even when it’s not. So what’s the secret? He explains it all, in his own words, in “Jason Bateman: What I’ve Learned” on Esquire.com now and in the Winter issue, available by December 16 everywhere magazines are sold.

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On his twenties: “My twenties were very confusing and challenging. There was therapy, there was seeking advice, there was a lot of self-doubt, and that was happening at the same time that I was doing a lot of partying. All those worries go away at night, but they come back the next day. I was getting a lot of stuff out of my system knowing that at thirty you got to get your sh*t together and try to execute the plan. I didn’t want to be fifty-six and think, God, I’ve never really been hungover.”

On his marriage: “I married a friend as opposed to a girlfriend. Since I only wanted to get married once, I thought, Find someone I’m sexually attracted to that’s also a friend. That’s the bull’s-eye.”

On the first scene of Arrested Development ever shot: “The first scene we shot on Arrested Development was a monologue that Jeffrey Tambor’s character was doing. He set a tone for the show, comedically. I was like, Oh, there’s not going to be any winking on this show. It’s going to be f*cking serious. If any of these characters knew that anyone was laughing at them, they’d be deeply offended and might get violent. So to me, that was like, Oh, great, this is the kind of comedy I’ve wanted to do.”

On being a people pleaser: “I am a people pleaser. I care about what people think about me. I read all the reviews. 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. 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.”

On his ideal SmartLess guests: “Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead were the big white whales for me. When they said yes, I couldn’t stop thinking about it until the day we recorded.”

On his sister, Justine: “My sister and I don’t see each other a ton. There isn’t the typical ‘We see each other every Thanksgiving or every Christmas and our kids want to be together.’ There isn’t that. In a great way. Our conversations are the rich conversations you would have with an adult friend, not the kind of petulant back-and-forth you might have with your adult sibling. We hang out, and we’re nice to each other because we respect one another as individuals regardless of the blood thing. I’m seeing her for lunch next week.”

[Photo Credit: Mark Seliger for Esquire Magazine]

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