Spelling revenge with a bee

For actor Jason Bateman in his directorial debut Bad Words, the spelling bee is the stage for a middle-aged man with a meticulous plan for revenge by exploiting a loophole in the rules.

Bad Words stars Bateman as Guy Trilby, whose revenge motivations are painstakingly uncovered by a hassled journalist, played by Kathryn Hahn, as he progresses through tournaments and befriends an adorable 10-year-old contestant.

For the child actor portraying Guy’s new friend, Chaitanya Chopra, Bateman wanted “a kid who would perfectly counterbalance all the cynicism and darkness” of Guy.

He chose Rohan Chand, an Indian-American from New York City who was eight at the time of filming and had appeared in Showtime’s Homeland TV series and last year’s Lone Survivor film.

In Bad Words, Rohan spends much of his screen time innocently ignoring Guy’s foul mouth and racist insults, brings out Guy’s inner soft side and accompanies him on a raucous night involving booze, pranks and a prostitute named Marzipan.

At the film’s Los Angeles premiere, Rohan said his favourite part was a scene involving dropping a lobster into a toilet and watching an unsuspecting man get nipped in the nether regions.

“The innate quality he just has as a little guy, and that’s what everybody really enjoys about him in the film, he’s just so fresh and lovable,” Bateman said.

Bateman, 45, has been acting since the age of 10, when he was cast in the TV series Little House on the Prairie, an experience that he said influenced the way he incorporated the child actors in Bad Words.

Bateman said he waited until now to make his directorial debut, drawing on his years of experience in front of the camera to find funding for the film — which was made for under $10 million.

The film has so far received lukewarm reviews, with Manohla Dargis at The New York Times writing that the film’s appeal lies in “irresistibly disreputable characters engaging in socially unacceptable behaviour”.

After building a career through sitcoms, Bateman carved out a niche playing the affable deadpan guy in dark comedies littered with cynicism and often absurdity, such as 2007’s Juno and 2011’s Horrible Bosses.

But it was his leading role as Michael Bluth in the television series Arrested Development, which was revived last year for a fourth season, that the actor credits with changing how Hollywood perceived his talents.

“It was something that was vital to where I am today. Without that, I don’t know if I’d even be in the business,” the actor said.

“I’m basically proxy for the audience, and it’s a great privilege to be able to be the lens through which the audience receives the eccentricity of that family,” Bateman said of playing Michael Bluth.

Curated For You

Kapil Sharma admits facing pressure from Netflix on The Great Indian Kapil Show: ‘Hisaab dena hota hai’

At 10.2°C, Kolkata records coldest January day in 12 years: Here’s what IMD forecast for Bengal says

Shark Tank judge Mohit Yadav raised Rs 1 cr by mortgaging house, built business worth Rs 2955 cr: ‘Feared my family won’t even have a home’