After Defense of Harassment, Jason Bateman Apologizes

He'd defended Jeffrey Tambor's attack on Jessica Walter
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 24, 2018 9:40 AM CDT
After Defense of Harassment, Jason Bateman Apologizes
Jessica Walter attends the May 17 LA premiere of the fifth season of "Arrested Development."   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Jason Bateman is apologizing a day after an emotional interview with the cast of Arrested Development was published by the New York Times ahead of the show's fifth season. It touched upon allegations of sexual misconduct against star Jeffrey Tambor, as well as his admission earlier this month, via the Hollywood Reporter, of a "blowup" with TV wife Jessica Walter. "In like almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set. And it's hard to deal with," 77-year-old Walter, who described the incident as verbal harassment, eventually revealed through tears. But first, her male co-stars jumped to Tambor's defense. David Cross stressed it was "important to remember" Tambor "learned from the experience." "Not to say that ... [Walter] had it coming," added Bateman. But "families come together and certain dynamics collide and clash every once in a while."

With critics pointing out how Walter's male co-stars interrupted her while trying to "mansplain her situation," per the Washington Post—Alia Shawkat, the only other female cast member present, defended Walter—Bateman took to Twitter Thursday to say he was "incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry" for his comments. "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," he wrote. "This is a big learning moment for me." Tambor previously told THR he had "profusely apologized" to Walter. "I was difficult. I was mean" on sets, he said, but he claimed his firing from Transparent was "a real wake-up," per USA Today. "I've learned that I need to be more patient," he continued. "I need to be more of a gentleman in how I interact with my castmates and not lose my temper." (More Arrested Development stories.)

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