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New York Post
Kathy Bates, 76, to retire from acting after ‘Matlock’ reboot — and a movie shoot that left her in tears
By Eric Todisco,
3 hours ago
Kathy Bates is ready to say goodbye to Hollywood.
The Oscar winner, 76, revealed in an interview with the New York Times published Sunday that she plans to retire from acting after starring in the CBS “Matlock” reboot series, which premieres later this month.
“This is my last dance,” she said.
Kathy Bates at the 2024 TCA Summer Press Tour. Getty Images Kathy Bates at the 2024 Summer TCA. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Bates explained that she was ready to retire last year after an unnamed movie shoot went badly and left her crying on her sofa.
However, she changed her mind when she read the script for the “Matlock” reboot, which is a gender-flipped remake of the original 1986 to 1995 legal drama series that starred Andy Griffith.
Kathy Bates in “Matlock.” CBS via Getty Images
“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” Bates said. “And it’s exhausting.”
Bates continued to vent about the current state of her career that began over 50 years ago.
“Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain. Do I have the right to feel this pain? When I was given so much?” she said.
Kathy Bates at the 1991 Oscars. Getty Images Kathy Bates at the 2003 Oscars. AP
“It becomes my life,” Bates added about acting. “Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”
Bates is best known for films like “Titanic,” “Primary Colors,” “About Schmidt,” “The Waterboy,” “The Blind Side,” “Midnight in Paris” and “Richard Jewell.” She won the Academy Award in 1991 for her role in the psychological thriller “Misery.”
The actress has also been nominated for 14 Emmy Awards. She’s won two Emmys for “Two and a Half Men” and “American Horror Story.”
Other popular shows that Bates has been in include “Six Feet Under” and “Harry’s Law.”
Kathy Bates in “American Horror Story.” Kathy Bates in “Harry’s Law.” Jordin Althaus/NBC
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in July, Bates said that she feels “really lucky” she gets to star in the “Matlock” reboot, which also stars Jason Ritter, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis.
“I get to play all of those levels with everything I’ve learned in the last 50 years,” she said. “I love playing all those facets of this character, and I just feel so lucky to be able to do all of that in one person and in the same episode. I love being able to play all those different notes.”
Kathy Bates in “Matlock.” CBS via Getty Images
“Playing each scene is like creating a little bead on a necklace, you know?” Bates went on. “You just have to have faith. Because of course, when you’re making television or film, you’re breaking everything up, so we really have to be careful about where we are in the show and what’s happened and where we are in this character development and that one.”
“Matlock” premieres Sept. 22 on CBS. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
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