Jason Bateman has been entertaining audiences since 1980. He started his acting career at the tender age of twelve. While most people know him as Michael Bluth, the hilariously dry and dysfunctional son from Arrested Development, Bateman was already making a name for himself long before that. In fact, he was a certified teen heartthrob back in the day, earning his first acting credit in a show that is still a fan favorite.

That debut may have been small, but it marked the beginning of what would turn into a decades-long career in the entertainment industry.

Jason Bateman’s first official acting credit came on Little House on the Prairie. The beloved series, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic books, premiered on NBC over 50 years ago and ran for nine seasons. Set in the late 1800s, the show told heartwarming stories about family and community. And while its final episode aired way back in 1983, the show is still going strong with a new generation of fans, thanks to the convenience of streaming. All nine seasons are currently available on Peacock for streaming. 

Bateman joined the series in its seventh season in 1981. He played the character of the adopted child James Cooper. He appeared in 21 episodes during his one-year run. Speaking to Variety about his time on the show, Bateman described the set as “very familial” and noted that later sets he worked on often felt “less functional.” Still, the experience he gained as a young actor came in handy decades later when he stepped behind the camera as a director for the first time.

Why Is the Directorial Debut by Jason Bateman ‘Bad Words’ A Must-Watch on Netflix?

Jason Bateman drew on his early acting experience to direct another young actor in his 2013 film, Bad Words.

Jason Bateman made his feature directorial debut with Bad Words, a comedy that featured a 10-year-old co-star and plenty of R-rated language. Directing child actor Rohan Chand in such a risqué film was challenging, but Bateman tapped into his own experience as a former child actor to make it work. “I remembered what I needed to hear as a little kid to feel comfortable and safe on set,” Bateman shared at the film's Hollywood premiere with The Times.

Though he successfully directed Chand, Bateman vowed never to let his own daughters watch the film. In fact, he later admitted that having kids of his own influenced him to tone down the use of profanity in his future projects. And for anyone curious to see where Bateman’s career began, Little House on the Prairie is just the nostalgic trip needed to revisit the inception of the actor's long and successful career.

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