Jason Bateman, 57, got candid about a hilarious arrest story from before he made the decision to become sober.
The “Horrible Bosses” star recalled his run-in with the law during an episode of the “Smartless” podcast on Monday, July 20.
“I was arrested in Monaco for being drunk and disorderly in a nice little leopard outfit,” Bateman said, adding that he was placed under arrest “fresh from the casinos, all banged up on cheap Champagne and a pocket full of [casino] chips. I just got rocked.”
Bateman, who became sober from drugs and alcohol in 2001 when he was 32 years old, didn’t reveal the exact date — and we’re willing to bet his outfit choice might have something to do with that.
Jason Bateman Before He Was Sober
During a cover interview with The Hollywood Reporter in February, Bateman shed light on his former party days, telling the outlet that it was his wife, Amanda Anka, who encouraged him to put the alcohol and drug usage to rest.
“She didn’t demand that I completely absolve, but that was sort of the back-and-forth, and I was like, ‘Well, I feel like my [sobriety] ETA is six months away, but if I could land this plane now, it would alleviate a lot of the tension, so let’s just [expletive] do it,'” he shared.
The “Ozark” star emphasized how after emerging as a child actor in “Little House on the Prairie,” in 1981, by the age of 22, he wasn’t being cast in anything significant. What’s more, he was being turned down.
The lack of work triggered a spiral for the former addict, who told The Hollywood Reporter that he was thankful most of his intoxicated shenanigans weren’t caught on camera or shared on social media.
“Fortunately, I was living at a time without social media and camera phones, so I got away with a lot, but it was definitely close a few times,” Bateman said.
Jason Bateman’s Most Unexpected Audition
GettyDespite no callbacks or castings, even after auditioning to be Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” commercial guy, Bateman told the outlet that because of the failure early on in his career, he quickly learned how to nurture a good thing when he had it.
By 2003, Bateman scored his iconic role in “Arrested Development.” Not only was he well on his way to becoming the decorated movie star he is today, but he was also sober.
“Were it not for some of that cliff-hanging earlier in my career, I don’t know if I’d be as good as I am at the caretaking of these opportunities,” he said. “But I have seen and felt what it is like to really not have a lot of prospects, and it keeps you hungry.”
With over 25 years without drugs and alcohol — and a loaded filmography — Bateman’s sobriety in the early 2000s was seemingly the catalyst to his Hollywood journey. And the icing on the cake? The same woman who encouraged him to change is the same woman still by his side today.
