The fourth season of Netflix’s Ozark, will be the last for the Jason Bateman-led series about a financial planner who launders money for a drug cartel. Starring alongside Bateman are Laura Linney as his wife Wendy Byrde and Julia Garner as their daughter Charlotte Byrde. Damian Young played Jim Rattelsdorf in seasons two through four of Ozark, Wilkes’ right-hand man and an ally of the Byrdes as they attempted to launder $500 million in dirty money through their own small business. Ozark Star Damian Young on His Character Jim Rattelsdorf
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Damian Young as Jim Rattelsdorf
What’s Ahead for Season 4 and Beyond? : After playing supporting characters in three seasons of Ozark, Damian Young takes center stage as Jim Rattslof, a wealthy lawyer who becomes an ally of the Byrdes. EW talked to Young about season 4 and where Jim’s head is at when it returns. You can look forward to Jimmy being just as calculating and Machiavellian as you’ve come to expect from him, says Young. The only difference is that now he has real power—he has earned his stripes with The Snells [Brad William Henke], so to speak—and with that comes a certain confidence that we haven’t seen yet from him.
On acting in general
I was born in Colorado, but we moved to Montana when I was about a year old. And then we moved around all over until I went to college in Boston. When I graduated from college, I packed up and drove out here [Los Angeles] for pilot season my last year of school—which is a little bit unusual for an actor; most people wait until they’ve had some experience before going out there full-time.
What it was like auditioning for the role
It’s always a great experience to be able to play someone who isn’t me, because I get to do a lot of things that I don’t normally do. Jim is a very different character than myself, which is what I love about him. It’s also fun being able to share so much screen time with Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, as well as all of our other incredibly talented co-stars! OZARK has truly been an amazing ride for me, and I can’t wait for Season 3!! -Damian Young (@damian_young)
How did you create your character?
Jim is a wealthy lawyer and certainly not someone who you would suspect of being a crook, said Young. In fact, he’s like many of today’s politicians: fiercely loyal to his leader, willing to do whatever it takes to make things work smoothly. He continued, Of course, everything changes when money gets involved—and I don’t mean Wilkes’ kind of money. That other stuff Jim works with is just too tempting.
What it was like being cast
Jim is a very wealthy lawyer. He’s sort of like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, where he has influence in all levels of Missouri politics, from sheriff to governor. I don’t think you can go up much higher than that, although who knows what season four will hold? But he does have a grander scheme for his life in mind than just being some corrupt politician or taking advantage of people from behind bars or trying to influence it behind closed doors. He wants to be out there and vocal about his opinion and what he thinks about Missouri as well as its politicians.
What we can expect from your character in season four
Jim is always in a good mood. He’s loyal to Marty and he will do anything for him. He wants what’s best for Marty, that includes helping him in any way possible. Jim might see Marty becoming president as a way of getting ahead as well because he knows that being close to someone who becomes president can be beneficial for business opportunities. [laughs] That would be my one selfish thing with Jim. But we haven’t gotten there yet so I don’t know if it’ll happen or not.
Q & A
Who is Jim rattelsdorf in Ozark?
I think if I’m going to compare my character to anyone, it would be to Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. He has a sense of humor and a great deal of intelligence, but he also has something rotten about him. I had a great time playing with that dark side of his personality. Playing Jim was fun because he’s so different from me as a person, which really helped get me out of my own head during filming.
Who plays Ron on shrill?
Shrill is an American comedy web television series created by Ellie Kemper, Jackie Clark, and Rashida Jones that premiered on March 15, 2019, on Hulu. The series stars Aidy Bryant as Annie, a young woman who tries to change her life. Shrill is based on Kemper’s 2016 memoir of same name. It received generally positive reviews from critics and has been noted for its progressive portrayal of plus-size characters and female friendship.
How many episodes of the Ozarks are there?
There are 10 episodes. It’s a slow burn, and it’s really nice that they let us tell our story in a way that didn’t feel crammed into 22 minutes. At HBO, they don’t try to make you fit into something else; whatever works best for your project is what they want to happen.
How many seasons of Ozark are there?
Three (and a half). An official fourth season has been announced, and production has already begun. The show, which is loosely based on a series of books by local author Bill L. Thomas about northern Missouri drug lords, was renewed for Season 4 after just three episodes of Season 3 had aired. Its second-season premiere drew more than 5 million viewers, making it one of Netflix’s most-watched original scripted shows ever in its first week—surpassing even House of Cards and Arrested Development.
What did Cade do to Charlotte?
I can’t speak specifically about what happened to Charlotte, but I think it was an eye-opening experience for Cade. He may have thought that he was doing what he had to do in order to protect his family, and while it was a morally ambiguous act, he didn’t feel as though he had committed any crimes. It really exposed him to how many more secrets were yet to be revealed — including ones that involved people close to him.
How old is Ruth langmore?
I like to think Ruth is 60. That’s my age, so I feel comfortable with it, but she could be older or younger. We made her a few years older than Marty, who’s 50-something (Ed: Marty Byrde is played by Academy Award nominee Jason Bateman). She says in Episode 6 that she was born in 1956, so I can give you those numbers and let you do your own math.
Where is Ozark filmed?
Ozark is filmed in and around Austin, Texas. And if you think it looks familiar, you’re right — parts of Ozark were shot in and around Washington County, a locale that featured prominently in Netflix’s other crime drama set in small-town America: Bloodline. Both shows film at least some of their scenes at Austin Studios.
