Long before Arrested Development revived his career, Jason Bateman was ready to quit Hollywood. After years of being one of the industry's most recognizable teen idols in shows like Silver Spoons and The Hogan Family, Bateman found himself struggling to land steady work as he moved into his twenties, and the uncertainty took a real toll. 

What might sound surprising today was, according to Bateman, a very real possibility at the time.

Speaking candidly with CBS News' Lee Cowan, the actor recalled the difficult period that nearly drove him away from the entertainment industry for good. Bateman recalled having a specific escape plan: liquidating what little money he had, stuffing it into a duffel bag, and heading to LAX's international terminal. Once there, he planned to pick a destination from the departures board at random and begin a new life somewhere else.

  "I was literally very, very close to liquidating what little cash I had," he told Cowan.  

He landed an audition that turned into a booked role, and around the same time, he began shadowing legendary sitcom director Jimmy Burrows, the sitcom director of Cheers. Rather than letting his sitcom background define him, Bateman pursued directing instead.

Jason Bateman’s ‘The Cackling of the Dodos’ Takes Its Next Big Step After Wrapping Filming

Burrows mentored him, allowing him to observe productions before introducing him to television agent Bob Broder. Bateman soon directed several sitcom episodes and said the experience finally made him feel like he was putting everything he had learned to use and "living like an adult."

Just as Jason Bateman was settling into life behind the camera, the script for Arrested Development landed on his desk. He initially assumed the role was not meant for him, believing it was too different from the sitcom persona he had built over the years. What he did not realize was that creator Mitchell Hurwitz remembered him from a pilot audition years earlier, one Bateman had not even booked, but had reportedly impressed everyone in the room during. 

Although Bateman had not landed that part, Hurwitz reportedly never forgot the audition and brought him in to read for Arrested Development. Bateman said he simply "guessed right" about what the show needed, and the role came along, in his words, exactly when he needed it most.

Looking back, it is a reminder of how close Bateman's post-teen-idol career came to never happening, with an unbooked audition quietly setting up the role that redefined his career. From Arrested Development to Ozark, none of it might have happened. It is the kind of near-miss that makes his comeback feel less like a straight line than a story that could have gone differently.

Netflix Favorite Jason Bateman Takes On HBO’s Dark Kinky Love Triangle With David Harbour: First Looks

What's your favourite Jason Bateman show? Let us know in the comments!