ENTERTAINMENT
Jason Bateman Hates Dancing So Much His Father-in-Law Paul Anka Had to Step In at His Wedding: ‘Owe You One’ (Exclusive)
You won’t catch Jason Bateman on the dancefloor — even at his own celebrations!
Bateman shared a few details about his and Amanda Anka’s wedding with his father-in-law, songwriter Paul Anka, during the premiere episode of Anka’s new podcast, Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson. The iHeartPodcast show premieres with the conversation between Anka and his son-in-law on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
As the two discussed Bateman and Amanda’s relationship, the Ozark actor, 55, and Paul, 82, reminisced about the couple’s wedding day. Bateman and Amanda, 55, tied the knot in 2001 in Malibu after dating for three years.
When it came to their wedding night, Bateman confessed that he and Amanda didn’t have their first dance together, and Paul took over for the groom.
“Do you remember I didn’t even dance with Amanda at my wedding?” Bateman asked Paul. “That’s how much I don’t like dancing. I didn’t even dance at my own wedding. You took your dance and my dance.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Paul confirmed. “So you owe me one.”
Jason Bateman and Paul Anka. GEORGE PIMENTEL/WIREIMAGE
A decade after the couple married, Paul told ET Canada in 2011 that Bateman is “a very smart boy, a wonderful guy for my daughter.”
The couple met in 1988 at a Los Angeles Kings game when they were around 18 or 19 years old at the time. They became friends but didn’t initially have a romantic connection.
In 2014, Bateman explained to The Daily Telegraph how the pair’s relationship evolved: “I looked around at the relationships that were the longest in my life, and they were the ones I had with my friends.”
Bateman shared he felt comfortable with Amanda because she was already a close friend. “With close friends, you can be with them no matter what mood you’re in,” he said.
“Amanda is [a great friend] and that’s why it feels so effortless,” he continued. “It gets better every single year.”
“He’s the most sensitive, generous man without being fragile, which is interesting to me,” Amanda said of her husband in a 2013 GQ interview. “We disagree all the time! I think he secretly likes it. I think he likes that it doesn’t bore him, that we’re not just agreeing on everything.”
Bateman and Amanda are parents of two children: Francesca (Franny) Nora, 17, and Maple Sylvie, 11.
