Mild spoilers below for Ozark Season 3.
Season 3 of Ozark is out on Netflix, and it's not the only thing that's out. Those who watched it are likely talking about what a wild season it is, and all the unbelievable directions each episode went in. Much of the chaos came thanks to Wendy Byrde's brother Ben Davis, who kept things unpredictable all the way up to that stunning season ender. CinemaBlend spoke to actor Tom Pelphrey about his character, and that hilarious nude scene in front of Jason Bateman and Laura Linney on the Byrde family property.
By the time that scene happens in Ozark Season 3, the audience has gotten a chance to know Ben and what he's all about. When I spoke to Tom Pelphrey about the scene, the actor informed me that sequence was actually shot very early on, which obviously made for quite the introduction to his fellow cast members. In his words:
The scene in the second episode running out of the house ass-naked woop-ing it up past Laura, Jason, and Janet was pretty hilarious to me. That was also one of my first days of work, so it was a really good ice breaker.
So in case anyone was curious, Tom Pelphrey did get naked and sprint towards the lake in that Ozark scene. After an opening scene like that on set, it stands to reason none of his other scenes would have caused embarrassment. That said, it's doubtful Pelphrey would've taken the role at all if he were overtly shy about things of that nature. Getting naked in front of his family certainly ranks high for uncomfortable moments, but it's not the wildest thing that Ben does all season.
That was part of why star and executive producer Jason Bateman was adamant on making sure Tom Pelphrey didn't go all out while filming his earliest scenes. Pelphrey explained he wanted to go full method while in the buff, but Bateman instructed him what he was was more than enough considering all that would come after.
That was an episode that Jason was directing. Obviously the idea is that I'm running down towards the lake to go swimming. We walked down there and I was like 'I'll jump in the lake.' And he was like, 'No, no, no, no, no. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We need you to do a lot of other things. You are not jumping into the lake.'
Jason Bateman probably knew that while filming Tom Pelphrey jumping in the lake could be neat, every scene needs multiple takes, and Ozark Season 3 needed the actor for other physically demanding (and clothed) scenes. This included some pretty physical action sequences, so it's understandable that Bateman wanted to make sure Pelphrey was conserving energy for whenever possible, making sure he was ready to go for the bigger scenes down the stretch. If cutting back on that lake scene made the difference in getting Ben to tackle that landscaper with that much more brutal force, it was well worth it.
Ozark Season 3 and its two prior sesaons are now available to stream on Netflix. Stick with CinemaBlend for more on the Netflix original, and for the latest news happening in television and movies.
