Jason Bateman has been making people laugh for decades. His easy wit and foxlike charm (not to mention that trademark swishy hair) have captivated audiences since his role in Arrested Development, as Michael Bluth, the patronizing but endearing self-appointed head of his dysfunctional family. And in the roles that followed, playing the straight man who finds himself in the middle of larger-than-life circumstances became synonymous with the actor’s brand of comedy.

Then came a plot twist few people anticipated: Ozark, a series about a family whose lives are thrown into chaos after a money laundering scheme goes wrong. Bateman plays the mild-mannered Marty Byrde, a financial advisor who drags his wife and kids into a dark world of crime — and there is nothing funny about that. But it’s not too much of a stretch for the actor, is it? A deadpan family man having to navigate another wild situation?

“I mean, I'm plenty dark. It's always been in there,” Bateman said in a podcast with NPR in 2020. “[In] the characters that I play, even in comedies, I'll rarely be the wacky guy.” His knack for playing the guy next door allowed the transition to work.

“I'm the proxy,” Bateman explained. “Whether it's an eccentric comedic character or a scary dramatic character, I'm the person that represents the audience.”

The dramatic turn paid off. In 2019 and 2021, Bateman took home a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Byrde. In 2020, he won an Emmy for directing the tumultuous “Reparations” episode, in Season 2. (Bateman directed Episodes 1 and 2 of the first three seasons and the last two episodes of Season 1.) Even though he won for directing a serious high-stakes drama, his win ended up being memorable for fans in more ways than one.

When his win was announced, the camera caught the actor’s signature wry expression followed by a simple open-mouthed “Wow,” which arrived several beats later than the reactions of his enthusiastic Ozark co-stars, Laura Linney and Julia Garner. The reaction was immortalized on Twitter with a slo-mo version. (Cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme.) It seems Bateman will take any opportunity to land the last punchline.