Kathy Bates is planning to wrap up her long acting career.
In an interview with the New York Times, Bates shared that she will retire after the CBS legal drama Matlock ends. “This is my last dance,” she said.
The Oscar and Emmy winner mentioned she was already considering retirement after a bad movie experience. “It becomes my life,” she said. “Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”
However, when her agents showed her the Matlock script, inspired by the classic Andy Griffith series, she felt an instant connection and knew she had to take 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,” she says. But also admits, “it’s exhausting.”
The show starts on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c on CBS. Bates plays Madeline Matlock (or Matty), a septuagenarian who decides to re-enter the workforce at a top law firm using her clever tactics and humble demeanor to win cases. The cast includes Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio, and Leah Lewis.
Bates is famous for her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery, which won her an Academy Award. Her TV appearances include Six Feet Under, The Office, Disjointed, Harry’s Law, and American Horror Story. She has two Emmys: one from Two and a Half Men in 2012 and another from AHS: Coven in 2014. Her latest role was in Netflix’s A Family Affair with Nicole Kidman.
Fans sometimes feel sad when their favorite stars retire.
Despite everything she’s achieved, it’s clear that this next chapter is very important for her.
