Bateman happy to be villain in 'Carry-On'

Having cemented a name in the hearts of millennials as reluctant family man Michael Bluth in Arrested Development and money-laundering financial advisor Marty Byrde in Ozark, Jason Bateman is back in Netflix's airport action thriller Carry-On.

The show, which will be available for streaming from December 13, sees Bateman play a mysterious man attempting to blackmail a TSA agent into allowing a dangerous package on a Christmas Eve flight. "I'm not some hardened criminal-looking kind of guy, so I'm glad they didn't want me to play him like that," he told The Hollywood Reporter at the red-carpet premiere of the show. "They let me do it as just a guy and this is just his job. He wants to blow this plane up, move on to the next thing, and get home for the holidays too."

Bateman stars opposite Rocketman star Taron Egerton, who plays the dedicated TSA agent trying to thwart Bateman's character. Egerton agreed that Bateman's villain was an unexpected departure from the stereotypical on-screen baddie. "It's unusual because he presents as someone quite safe but actually underneath it, he's awful," explained Egerton.

Acknowledging Bateman's landmark roles, the Welsh actor added that sharing the screen with Bateman was a dream come true. "Knowing Jason for all his film work and Arrested Development and Ozark, it's surreal to be working with him," he said.

In addition to Bateman and Egerton, Carry-On features Danielle Deadwyler Dean Norris, Sinqua Walls, Theo Rossi and Sofia Carson. Carson, who plays the girlfriend of Egerton's character and also works at the airport, noted that just like Bateman and his atypical villain, her strong character was a departure from the typical female supporting character. "I was so happy to be offered the role of a woman in an action movie that was never once a damsel in distress," she said.