Kathy Bates Announces Final Acting Role in "Matlock" Reboot
Kathy Bates has declared that her upcoming role in the reboot of the procedural drama “Matlock” will mark her final appearance on screen.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, the Oscar-winning actress expressed her readiness to step back from the limelight, yet revealed that she was drawn back into the industry after reading the script for the series. Bates emphasized the significance of this being her last acting job, urging viewers to savor her performance.
“This is my last dance,” Bates stated in the interview.
Bates, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1991 for her gripping performance in “Misery,” reflected on her extensive career in Hollywood. She shared how the new television series convinced her to reconsider her plans to retire from acting.
“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” said the 76-year-old actress. “And it’s exhausting.”
During the discussion, Bates candidly opened up about her upbringing as the youngest of three daughters, with siblings significantly older than her.
“As I got older, I realized that I wasn’t meant to be,” Bates explained. “That has informed my evolution as a human being, and who you are as a human being, it’s who you are as an artist.”
Her memorable role as Annie Wilkes, a deranged recluse who kidnaps a famous author in “Misery,” propelled her career to new heights.
However, Bates admitted that she found it challenging to embrace the fame that followed.
“I never felt dressed right or well,” she recalled, discussing her feelings during the promotional rounds for the film. “I felt like a misfit. It’s that line in ‘Misery’ when Annie says, ‘I’m not a movie star.’ I’m not.”
Bates has also enjoyed success on television, appearing in acclaimed series such as “Six Feet Under,” “The Office,” and most recently, “American Horror Story.”
The reboot of “Matlock,” which originally aired from 1986 to 1995 and starred Andy Griffith as the charming attorney Ben Matlock, allows Bates to delve into the perspective of an older woman through her character, Madeline “Matty” Matlock.
“In the ‘Matlock’ pilot, there’s this funny thing that happens when women age,” her character says. “We become damn near invisible.”
“It’s useful, because nobody sees us coming,” she adds.
The much-anticipated revival of “Matlock” is set to premiere on September 22 on CBS.
