Jason Bateman normally portrays the good guy in films, but this time around fans get to see a much different facet of his acting abilities.

In his new film Bad Words, which he starred in and directed, he actually plays the role of a bitter man by the name of Guy Trilby. The black comedy film centers around Bateman’s character who bullies his way into a children’s spelling bee.

According to NBC News, Bateman stopped by the Today show on Monday, Mar. 10 to share some details about the upcoming film.

While most people would have little remorse toward the opposing character in a film, Bateman feels otherwise. During his interview on the show, he actually expressed deep sympathy for the antagonistic character he portrays in the film.

“He is a gentleman that has had his feelings hurt,” he explained. “He’s not as smart as you or me or our viewing public here. He’s not well-equipped to … lick his wounds. So he’s doing something kind of petulant and impulsive here, and he is crashing a spelling bee to kind of extract some revenge.”

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The Hit and Run actor also shared glints of his experience as a director for the film. With the substantial number of children on the set, he revealed that he had to actually sojourn down memory lane and relive some of his own days as a child actor.

Bateman had one of his first recurring roles on Little House on the Prairie back in 1981-82. He used his experiences with the show’s actor and occasional director Michael Landon as template for his own interactions with the children on the set of Bad Words.

“He took such good care of all of us little kids,” said Bateman. “I found myself recalling a lot of those memories about how I liked the set to be, so I wasn’t so scared or if I was bored he’d make it fun.”

However, even though he now has substantial experience as a director, he admits that he’s no smarter than he was before taking on a directorial role. “I’m just a dumb actor,” he quipped.

Bad Words hits theaters nationwide on March 28.

Image via Bad Words, Facebook
Image via Jason Bateman, Wikimedia Commons