Jason Bateman talks "Arrested Development," Valerie Harper at "Disconnect" premiere
While fans have been eagerly counting the days until the long-awaited return of "Arrested Development," series star Jason Bateman has been busy promoting his new dark thriller, "Disconnect."
The film features an ensemble cast and focuses on the problems social media can cause in our everyday lives. Bateman stars as a workaholic father who tries to find out why his son took extreme measures after being cyber-bullied at his high school.
Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka (daughter of singer Paul Anka), were on the red carpet Monday night for the New York premiere of "Disconnect," where we asked Bateman about his new movie and the new season of "Arrested Development." Bateman got his big break in the 1980s as a star as the son of Valerie Harper's character on the hit sitcom "Valerie" (later re-titled "The Hogan Family" after her departure) and we also asked if he's spoken to her since her recent terminal cancer diagnosis:
CBSNEWS.COM: You've been known for mostly comedic roles in the past. [Your role in "Disconnect"] is a side of you we really haven't seen before.
JASON BATEMAN: Right. I was happy to do some dramatic work. It's nice to be asked. And maybe this will bring some more hopefully. I think everybody wants balance in their lives. And in their careers too. This would help on that.
CBSNEWS.COM: The struggle that your character goes through in the movie...Could you relate at all?
BATEMAN: He's trying to help out his kid. That I could relate to. I've got two little girls. They're going to have some challenges to navigate when it comes to social media and things like that when they grow up. That's something that I didn't have to deal with. This was a little educational for me.
CBSNEWS.COM: May 26th...That's a big day.
BATEMAN: Yeah, that's the "Arrested Development" premiere. I can't wait to see it. It was a very ambitious thing that [creator and executive producer] Mitchell Hurwitz wrote and we shot and that he's editing now. So I can't wait to see it.
CBSNEWS.COM: And what about Valerie [Harper], have you spoken to her at all?
BATEMAN: Not at all...But I've been thinking about her a lot.
"Disconnect" opens in theaters on Friday.
