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

Kathy Bates is hanging up her acting boots!

In a new interview with The New York Timesposted Sunday, Sept. 8 actress, 76 — who plays Madeline Matlock in the reboot Matlock — revealed that the show will probably be her last.

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

“It becomes my life,” she told the newspaper. “Sometimes I’m jealous that I have this talent. Because I can’t help it and I just want my life.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best 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 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Kathy Bates explains why she would ‘really hurt me’ after being criticized as a younger actress

Those retirement plans were put on hold after Bates — whose acting credits include Misery, Titanic and in 2024 A family affair — a script was sent for Matlock.

While the 1987 series followed defense attorney Benjamin Matlock (Andy Griffith) as he charged high prices to fight other people’s cases, the reboot series will tell the story of Bates’ character rejoining the legal workforce as an elderly person, using his modest person to win cases.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, fought for, suddenly I’m being asked to use it all,” said the Oscar winner. The New York Timesadding “It’s exhausting.”

Enter the CBS Portrait Studio with the cast Tracker, NCIS: Origins, Elsbeth and more! (Exclusive photos)

Kathy Bates after winning Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991.

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler has arrived! How fast 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 “really hurt her feelings”, per Entertainment Weekly. “Sometimes I would get on a plane and fly home,” she added.

This became particularly acute when she became the focus of the British tabloids while working as a theater actress in the British capital.

“”I had a wonderful producer, God bless him, Saul Zaentz. And I remember we were in London, and it was just a nightmare. The British press… But I remember being very upset,” she said. “And I said, ‘I’m going home, that’s it. I won’t go through this again.’ And I remember Saul coming up to me and saying, ‘You need to toughen up.’ ”

Matlock premieres on CBS on September 22 and will later be available to stream on Paramount+.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education