'This is Where I Leave You': How Jason Bateman and Tina Fey became on-screen siblings

In the past, Jason Bateman and Tina Fey have both been part of big, dysfunctional on-screen families - the former on “Arrested Development” and the latter on “30 Rock.” That experience proved invaluable for their latest film, the quirky family dramedy “This is Where I Leave You,” directed by Montreal's own Shawn Levy.

Bateman and Fey play brother and sister in film, which sees four siblings (Bateman, Fey, Adam Driver, and Corey Stoll) return home to mourn their recently deceased father. A series of personal crises, combined with cramped quarters and their overbearing mother (Jane Fonda), turns the Altman family house into an emotional powder keg that frequently explodes in hilarious, heartwarming, and sometimes violent ways.

In Toronto earlier this month, both Bateman and Fey said that developing their on-screen brother-sister relationship was easy.

“She’s OK,” Bateman said, smiling at co-star Fey. “You can get along with her pretty easily - it took about three or four weeks, but luckily the shoot was six. It was honestly very, very simple for all of us to get along and have fun with this. Shawn [Levy] was a big player in that and set up a great environment.”

Fey said that shooting on location in a real house helped develop that strong family dynamic.

“There was an upstairs bedroom that all the 'children' basically hung out in and then Jane [Fonda] had a little Mom’s room over the garage,” Fey recalled. “We just sat in there and played 'Words with Friends' and joked around. By the end of the shoot Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, and Corey [Stoll] would all be asleep on the bed at the same time. There were no formal boundaries anymore.”

Bateman plays Judd Altman, the central character in the film and binding force in the Altman family. It’s the kind of character Bateman has played many times in the past, so what made Judd so appealing to him?

“Employment, really,” Bateman deadpanned, adding: “If the part is something you can tackle and there’s a bunch of really great people associated with it, it’s a pretty easy guess. I get approached to play this type of character often because that’s what people see me do.”

“I’d like to chime in on this one, Jason,” Fey interjected (to which Bateman replied “Good. Make sure it’s complimentary").

“When you need someone to be the emotional centre of something there’s an intelligence they have to project, a warmth, and a likeability in order for the audience to connect with them,” Fey said. “Not everyone can do that.”

“Those guys were not available,” joked Bateman.

For Fey, the appeal of playing Wendy Altman was getting to portray someone completely different the kinds of characters she’d played in the past.

“She’s a woman who doesn’t work, which I find fascinating,” Fey said. “She’s a woman who’s confident in her appearance and her sexuality - which is a departure from ['30 Rock']."

Fey said the biggest challenges with Wendy weren't the dramatic moments she needed to play, but instead the amount of jewelry the character wore.

“At the end of the day I’d be like ‘Oh my god, this is so much jewelry! Take it off!’ Fey recalled. “This was like the normal amount of jewelry that a woman wears. ‘Two earrings?! This is so much!’ It was a real stretch for me.”

In real life, Bateman and Fey have siblings of their own, which is invaluable experience for any actor trying to portray that sort of dynamic. The two comic actors had interesting answers for which Altman family kid they felt that they are most like in their own respective families.

“While I’m not that much trouble, I know that I am actually Phillip,” Fey said, referring to the mischievous youngest Altman sibling (played by Adam Driver). “I’m the bonus baby in my family!”

“Really? You were the ‘oops’?” asked Bateman.

“Yeah, I’m eight years younger,” Fey said. “I was the surprise.”

“I’m probably the guy I played,” Bateman answered. “I don’t like to break a sweat while I’m working. I pick the parts that are closest to me.”

“This is Where I Leave You” opens in theatres Sept. 19.