HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
Family of thieves goes underground on ‘Ozark’
MARTY Byrde (Jason Bateman) is a wanted man. A Chicago financial adviser whose secret life as a money launderer has aroused the curiosity of the Feds and the animosity of a drug cartel boss who wonders why $8 million is missing, Marty has retreated to the Ozarks with his wife, Wendy (Laura Linney), and two kids to make things right again. But the Byrdes have attracted the wrong kind of attention from the Langmores, a local family of thieves. And an undercover FBI agent has moved into a nearby motel to better assess the situation. So, Marty can’t afford to make one false move.
“Arrested Development” star Bateman, 48, spoke to The Post about “Ozark,” on which he also serves as an executive producer and director.
Was Marty always corrupt or did he become that way?
Whatever he is now, I think he’s always been. I don’t think he would consider himself corrupt. I think he sees himself as really bright. The problem is that he’s not superbright. If he was superbright, he’d never be down [in the Ozarks]. He would have done something to mitigate his risk even more.
Why is Marty still watching that video of his wife having sex with another man?
If it was the first time [Wendy] had done this, he would be shocked and outraged. But it’s been going on awhile and he’s put a private eye on it. He now has proof. I think it’s a melancholy example of some sort of domestic defeat.
How was Marty different from your other roles?
He’s not that different. That’s what I liked about him. [Playing] Marty wouldn’t take away from my main draw to this project: the oversight part of it. The directing and executive-producing. If I were playing a “character,” that would be a little too much to take on.
Did you bring on Scottish actor Peter Mullan from “Top of the Lake” to play the villain?
Yes. I was determined to get him. He was a big get for us. That was the [inspiration] that I used for this show, “Top of the Lake.”
Why is that?
The way in which it was shot and paced and written and performed. I like that it’s got a 10-second title sequence so you don’t sit through credits before every episode.
Is there a plan in place to keep “Ozark” going?
We’ve got great things that [head writer] Chris Mundy and his staff have keyed up that we can go to in the second year if we get one. If we don’t, they’ve also closed things up, so there’s not that obnoxious cliffhanger that baits the audience into a second year and frustrates them if there isn’t one. We really wanted to close this up and treat it as a 10-chapter film.