Horrible Bosses 2's Jason Bateman keeps a low profile

Jason Bateman is a well-regarded and easily recognised actor - thanks in part to Horrible Bosses, the irreverent black comedy that had him playing one of three friends who decide to kill their awful employers. But he resolutely maintains that he is not a celebrity.

"Celebrities get a lot of noisy attention," he says. "A celebrity is thought of as just a famous person, as opposed to somebody who is a known actor, who you know from films or TV shows that you enjoy. When you see a celebrity out on the street, it's a strange, odd thing - like seeing an animal escaped from the zoo."

Bateman was musing on the trials and tribulations of being an acting star on a recent afternoon in Beverly Hills, ahead of the release of Horrible Bosses 2, the sequel to the 2011 hit that also featured Jennifer Aniston. That film solidified his reputation as a gifted comic actor with an unruffled deadpan delivery, and an endearing earnestness.

An entertainment industry veteran who's been in the business since he was 12, when he landed a recurring part on Little House on the Prairie, Bateman became a familiar face with early 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons. His role as Michael Bluth in the critically acclaimed TV series Arrested Development, which ran from 2003 to 2006 and returned briefly in 2013, made him a household name. In the past decade, he has appeared in some high-profile films, including the spirited Juno (2007) and the razor-sharp Up in the Air (2009).

The 45-year-old says he is guided by instinct when it comes to picking his projects, although he adheres primarily to an overarching agenda, "Which is not to do jobs that make it impossible for the industry and the public to respect you," he says. "If you grab the low-hanging fruit, you're jeopardising your longevity. There will constantly be opportunities that will increase your fame and bank account, but that's kind of a sprinter's path.