{"id":2341449,"date":"2026-03-23T00:32:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T00:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2341449"},"modified":"2026-03-23T00:32:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T00:32:53","slug":"dtf-st-louis-creator-reveals-why-it-all-made-sense-for-jason-bateman-to-take-the-role-originally-meant-for-pedro-pascal-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dtf-st-louis-creator-reveals-why-it-all-made-sense-for-jason-bateman-to-take-the-role-originally-meant-for-pedro-pascal-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDTF St. Louis\u201d Creator Reveals Why &#8216;It All Made Sense&#8217; for Jason Bateman to Take the Role Originally Meant for Pedro Pascal (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div style=\"max-width:1242px\">\n<div class=\"content-image\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<p><i>Jason Bateman; Pedro Pascal<br \/>Credit: Tina Rowden\/HBO; Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Warning: This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of <em>DTF St. Louis.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"content-list\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Steven Conrad, the creator of <em>DTF St. Louis, <\/em>tells PEOPLE why Jason Bateman took over the role that Pedro Pascal was initially supposed to play<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Bateman stars alongside David Harbour and Linda Cardellini in the HBO dark comedy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Conrad highlights Bateman&#8217;s natural chemistry with Harbour as part of the reason he fit the part so well<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/jason-bateman\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jason Bateman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Jason Bateman<\/a>\u2019s casting in <em>DTF St. Louis <\/em>was meant to be.<\/p>\n<p>In the HBO limited series, Bateman, 57, portrays a local weatherman named Clark, who is wrapped up in a secret affair with his best friend Floyd (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/david-harbour\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:David Harbour;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">David Harbour<\/a>)\u2019s wife, Carol (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/linda-cardellini-8742170\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Linda Cardellini;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Linda Cardellini<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The show\u2019s creator Steven Conrad spoke to PEOPLE about bringing the dark comedy to life after Harbour, 50, first came to him with the idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had some different stories to assess and suggested maybe we could set it here with these terms, with these characters,\u201d Conrad recalls. \u201cWe started to go down a few roads trying to discover which one lent itself to the most exciting long-term storyline, and then we decided that rather than to go down a road of true crime or go down a road of a real scenario, we were just going to make up one that existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div style=\"max-width:1242px\">\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img alt=\"David Harbour in DTF St. LouisCredit: Tina Rowden\/HBO\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/DA91BrWNc0LTceE0lY16XA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/0a85ab8c0c1d561431af3833f449b541\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<p><i>David Harbour in DTF St. Louis<br \/>Credit: Tina Rowden\/HBO<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Initially, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/pedro-pascal\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Pedro Pascal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Pedro Pascal<\/a> was set to star alongside Harbour, but Conrad reveals that that changed when the story started to go in a different direction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPedro was around in that very early period where David and I were scratching our heads over things,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen that role became brand new and wide open and something for me to create again, it was Jason I thought of because I knew he was free, and he rarely is. So we tried to entice Jason with the role, and it all made sense for Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Conrad adds that Bateman playing Harbour\u2019s \u201cpartner in crime\u201d came across naturally on camera, comparing them to \u201ctwo little kids who sit in a fort and play with matches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreating a partnership between two actors who have very different dynamics and delivery systems, it&#8217;s a little bit of an art form,\u201d Conrad explains. \u201cYou want to find actors who have different energy, different intelligences, different emotional intelligences, and those two just seem ready-made to share the screen together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJason and I have been friendly for years, trying to find something, coming close a couple times,\u201d he continues. \u201cAnd then it occurred to me that I could build this for Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, Conrad cast Cardellini, who he says \u201cjust can do everything,\u201d making her perfect for the role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had an idea that Carol had to be many, many things in the show,\u201d he says. \u201cShe had to be a struggling mom. She had to be an overworked person in an office who is unrewarded. She had to be a spouse whose husband doesn&#8217;t really notice her anymore in intimate ways. And then she had to be the woman down the street who&#8217;s dynamically, sexually attracted to the guy down the street. Linda just can do everything. You believe it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div style=\"max-width:1242px\">\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img alt=\"Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini and David Harbour in DTF St. Louis.Credit: HBO\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/5ZCIqgdZJvknOZIRMgMmVA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/27e81fc77da32fa1b384195bc318c7a4\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<p><i>Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini and David Harbour in DTF St. Louis.<br \/>Credit: HBO<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-news-inline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the end of the premiere, Floyd turns up dead, leaving a duo of detectives to piece together what happened. Viewers have since seen the relationship between Floyd and Carol grow more tense, as he explores connections with strangers on the DTF St. Louis dating app \u2014 which Clark introduced him to \u2014 even being lured by a mystery culprit into a date with a man.<\/p>\n<p>Episode 3 concludes with hints that Carol might be setting Floyd up, as she opens up to Clark about Floyd\u2019s Peyronie\u2019s disease, a condition where the penis develops a curvature that causes erectile dysfunction. After complaining about her failing marital sex life, she also brings up life insurance, implying she wants Clark to take a policy out on Floyd.<\/p>\n<p>Calling Cardinelli \u201cthe strongest character in our set of characters,\u201d Conrad says she was one of few people who was able to embody someone \u201cwho doesn&#8217;t have a normal set of accomplishments\u201d but somehow \u201chas found a way to dominate her environments out of sheer intelligence and need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a big cat who&#8217;s afraid of the little cat, a big dog who&#8217;s afraid of the little dog, and you go, \u2018What does this little dog have? It makes no sense,\u2019\u201d he says, referring to Carol and Floyd. \u201cBut the little dog has fight. So Linda having to do all those things and then to reduce her to say, \u2018This person has more fight than anybody else.\u2019 Linda exquisitely could inhabit that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New episodes of <em>DTF St. Louis<\/em> air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/dtf-st-louis-creator-why-jason-bateman-was-perfect-for-role-exclusive-11929456\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jason Bateman; Pedro PascalCredit: Tina Rowden\/HBO; Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic Warning: This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of DTF St. Louis. NEED TO KNOW Steven Conrad, the creator of DTF St. Louis, tells PEOPLE why Jason Bateman took over the role that Pedro Pascal was initially supposed to play Bateman stars alongside David Harbour [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2341450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[40867,453859,21917,305660,446843,310573,409055],"class_list":["post-2341449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-david-harbour","tag-friend-floyd","tag-hbo","tag-jason-bateman","tag-linda-cardellini","tag-pedro-pascal","tag-steven-conrad"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DTF-St-Louis-Creator-Reveals-Why-It-All-Made-Sense.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2341451,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341449\/revisions\/2341451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}