Kathy Bates has been a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood for over five decades, but the Oscar winner has now decided that the curtain must come down on her phenomenal career. Bates is set to lead Matlock on CBS, a reboot of the classic legal TV drama, but the actress has now called the upcoming series “my last dance.”
Matlock is an 18-episode series based on the ‘80s show which starred Andy Griffith as the titular attorney. The new series will reimagine the classic show, with Bates playing the role of Matlock, who returns to her old law firm that she found great success at during her younger years. According to Bates, Matlock is the singular reason why she has not already retired from the industry, which then makes it easy to see why she is not planning on looking for any more work once this journey comes to an end.
Speaking to the New York Times, Bates revealed that prior to taking on the role of Matlock, a bad filming experience on a movie she did not name had her ready to quit there and then. After feeling that she had given everything to the role, only to be ignored, she spoke to her agent and told them that she planned to retire. Despite this, her agent forwarded her a script in January 2024 for Matlock, and it was impressive enough for her to temporarily pause her retirement plan. She noted of taking on the role:
Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it. And it’s exhausting.
Kathy Bates Has Had a Flawless Career
While Bates began her career on stage in the 1970s, it was her role as Annie Wilkes in the 1990 Stephen King movie Misery that catapulted her to a whole new level of stardom. Bates’ performance as the disturbed fan who holds her favorite author hostage in her home won her an Academy Award for Best Actress, and made Misery not only one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but one of the best movies of all time.
Following her Oscar win, Bates’ career soared as the actress was inundated with offers, leading to roles in movies such as another King adaptation with Dolores Claiborne, and James Cameron’s Titanic, in which she portrayed the real-life socialite Molly Brown. Over the following decade, Bates’ choice of roles proved to be incredibly varied, and showcased the breadth of her talent across all genres and mediums. From her critically praised role in Primary Colors, to the Jack Nicholson comedy About Schmidt, every role brought more accolades her way, and shifting her focus to TV roles didn’t change that.
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Whether she’s playing a kindly maternal figure or an evil yet unassuming woman, her immovable power as a performer always rises to the surface.
Bates made prominent appearances in popular shows such as Six Feet Under and Harry’s Law, the latter of which earned her two Emmy nominations. Her work across multiple seasons of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology series American Horror Story saw the actress delving back into the kind of dark role that brought her so much acclaim in Misery, and won her an Emmy in 2014. Her latest roles were in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Netflix’s A Family Affair with Nicole Kidman.
If Matlock is to be her final performance, then it is expected that it is going to be another role that Bates will make her own, and will add to one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood. While there are many actors who have hung up their acting shoes long before becoming a septuagenarian, at the age of 76, Bates has certainly earned her retirement many times over.
Matlock
is set to debut on CBS on September 22, and will stream on Paramount+ at a later date.
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