Kathy Bates Says She’s Retiring from Acting After FilmingMatlock: 'This Is My Last Dance'

Mar. 15, 2025

Kathy Bates as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock in the new drama series, ‘Matlock’.Photo:Brooke Palmer/CBS

Brooke Palmer/CBS

Kathy Batesis hanging up her acting boots!In a new interview withThe New York Times, published on Sunday, Sept. 8, the actress, 76 — who plays the role of Madeline Matlock in the rebootMatlock— revealed that the show will likely be her last.“This is my last dance,” she said, revealing that she was previously ready to quit after an unnamed movie shoot led to her crying on her sofa.“It becomes my life,” she told the outlet. “Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Kathy Bates at the Fall Schedule Celebration at Paramount Studios on May 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Steve Granitz/FilmMagicThose retirement plans were put on hold after Bates — whose acting credits includeMisery,Titanicand 2024’sA Family Affair— was sent the script forMatlock.While the 1987 series follows defense lawyer Benjamin Matlock (Andy Griffith) as he charges hefty prices to fight for people’s cases, the reboot show will tell the story of Bates’ character who rejoins the law workforce as a senior, using her unassuming persona to win cases.“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” the Oscar winner toldThe New York Times, adding “It’s exhausting.”Kathy Bates after winning Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991.Vinnie Zuffante/GettyThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!This is a far cry from Bates' experiences as a young actress. In July she openly admitted that she would “get my feelings really hurt,” perEntertainment Weekly. “Sometimes I’d get on a plane and fly home,” she added.This became particularly acute when she became the focus of the U.K. tabloid press while working as a stage actress in the British capital.““I had a wonderful producer, God rest, him, Saul Zaentz. And I remember we were in London, and it was just a nightmare. British press… But I remember I got very upset,” she said. “And I said, ‘I’m going home, that’s it. I’m not going to put myself through this anymore.’ And I remember Saul coming up to me and saying, ‘You gotta get tougher.’ “Matlockpremiers on CBS on Sept. 22 and will later be available to stream on Paramount+.

Kathy Batesis hanging up her acting boots!

In a new interview withThe New York Times, published on Sunday, Sept. 8, the actress, 76 — who plays the role of Madeline Matlock in the rebootMatlock— revealed that the show will likely be her last.

“This is my last dance,” she said, revealing that she was previously ready to quit after an unnamed movie shoot led to her crying on her sofa.

“It becomes my life,” she told the outlet. “Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kathy Bates at the Fall Schedule Celebration at Paramount Studios on May 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Those retirement plans were put on hold after Bates — whose acting credits includeMisery,Titanicand 2024’sA Family Affair— was sent the script forMatlock.

While the 1987 series follows defense lawyer Benjamin Matlock (Andy Griffith) as he charges hefty prices to fight for people’s cases, the reboot show will tell the story of Bates’ character who rejoins the law workforce as a senior, using her unassuming persona to win cases.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” the Oscar winner toldThe New York Times, adding “It’s exhausting.”

Kathy Bates after winning Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

This is a far cry from Bates' experiences as a young actress. In July she openly admitted that she would “get my feelings really hurt,” perEntertainment Weekly. “Sometimes I’d get on a plane and fly home,” she added.

This became particularly acute when she became the focus of the U.K. tabloid press while working as a stage actress in the British capital.

““I had a wonderful producer, God rest, him, Saul Zaentz. And I remember we were in London, and it was just a nightmare. British press… But I remember I got very upset,” she said. “And I said, ‘I’m going home, that’s it. I’m not going to put myself through this anymore.’ And I remember Saul coming up to me and saying, ‘You gotta get tougher.’ "

Matlockpremiers on CBS on Sept. 22 and will later be available to stream on Paramount+.

source: people.com