Jason Bateman came close to quitting Hollywood to fulfil his dream of opening a cafe in Europe

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I would've bought a little coffee shop in some small town in Western Europe, learned the language and made local villager friends.

"It sounds so stupid, but I would've walked around with a little apron on and sat at everyone's table and just had a quaint, little life - and I bet I would have loved it."

However, Jason was drawn back into the acting business when he landed a role in sitcom Arrested Development and the job kickstarted his stalled career.

The actor admits going through such a tough time has helped him appreciate being able to land regular work in later years.

He explained: "Were it not for some of that cliff-hanging earlier in my career, I don't know if I'd be as good as I am at the caretaking of these opportunities.

"But I have seen and felt what it is like to really not have a lot of prospects, and it keeps you hungry."

Now as well as acting, Jason also co-hosts the hugely successful SmartLess podcast with Will Arnett and Sean Hayes - and he admits the show's popularity has given him the financial security to be more picky about his film and TV projects.

He added: "The financial security of it is something I don't take lightly, and it's given me a healthy level of indifference when it comes to assessing other creative opportunities for myself. It's also a good reminder that some of the greatest things in your life come when you're not chasing them."

It comes after Jason's SmartLess co-host Will revealed the trio recently booted a "very famous" star off the show for being a "f****** rank a**hole".

The host explained they "recently" recorded an episode with a well-known comedian but they ended up cutting him off after 10 minutes and deleting his contribution from the podcast.

During an appearance on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Will explained: "[There was] one very famous comedian, who I will tell you after [we stop recording], who was a f****** rank a**hole. Recently. And we cut him off after 10 minutes and said: 'Thanks so much,' and then ditched him.

"And you'll be blown away by who it is."