Bateman apologizes after furor over defending Tambor
Following a blistering reaction on social media, Jason Bateman, one of the stars of “Arrested Development,” apologized Thursday after an interview with The New York Times during which he defended Jeffrey Tambor, a co-star, and his on-set behavior toward another co-star, Jessica Walter.
Critics accused Bateman of excusing Tambor’s verbal harassment at the expense of Walter, during an era in which male toxicity in Hollywood is facing a reckoning.
Bateman addressed the interview with several posts on Twitter:
“Based on listening to the NYT interview and hearing people’s thoughts online, I realize that I was wrong here,” Bateman wrote. “I sound like I’m condoning yelling at work. I do not. It sounds like I’m excusing Jeffery. I do not. It sounds like I’m insensitive to Jessica. I am not. In fact, I’m horrified that I wasn’t more aware of how this incident affected her. I was so eager to let Jeffrey know that he was supported in his attempt to learn, grow and apologize that I completely underestimated the feelings of the victim, another person I deeply love — and she was sitting right there!”
The posts continued: “I’m incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica. I should’ve focused more on what the most important part of it all is — there’s never any excuse for abuse, in any form, from any gender.”