Ozark star Jason Bateman is getting honest about deciding to get sober. He credits his wife, Amanda Anka, for helping him make the decision.
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Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Bateman says that his wife said his partying had gotten "annoyingly unpredictable." This was a wake up call for the Ozark star.
"Amanda and I definitely had a few negotiations about the point at which the [partying] spigot was going to completely turn off," Bateman said. "She'd be like, 'This drip, drip, drip is annoyingly unpredictable, Jason.'"
At the time, Anka was holding down the fort and bringing in the income for the family. The Ozark star said she "didn't demand that I completely absolve, but that was sort of the back-and-forth, and I was like, well, I feel like my [sobriety] ETA is six months away, but if I could land this plane now, it would alleviate a lot of the tension, so let's just f---ing do it."
'Ozark' Star Opens Up
Bateman says he went California sober, which means he gave up alcohol and drugs except for marijuana. The move helped his relationship and also helped his career as well. A successful child star, Bateman turned to partying when his adult career stalled.
"Fortunately, I was living at a time without social media and camera phones. So I got away with a lot, but it was definitely close a few times," Bateman told the outlet.
But Bateman later became a Hollywood star thanks to his focus on his craft over partying. It also allowed him to be the father he wanted to be.
"I've got friends who had bottoms that were pretty chilling. But I was lucky enough to recognize, 'This is probably as far as I should go if I still want to accomplish the things that I want to get to,' " says Bateman.
"I was conscious the whole time of wanting to get a lot of these boxes checked before I became a father and a guy with a career that I not only wanted. But had a feeling I might be able to get it if I just got the right job."
