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

Bates spoke to 'The New York Times' in an interview, published Sunday, Sept. 8

Kathy Bates is hanging up her acting boots!

In a new interview with The New York Times, published on Sunday, Sept. 8, the actress, 76 — who plays the role of Madeline Matlock in the reboot Matlock — 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.”

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Related: Kathy Bates Explains Why She 'Would Get My Feelings Really Hurt' After Criticism as a Younger Actor

Those retirement plans were put on hold after Bates — whose acting credits include Misery, Titanic and 2024’s A Family Affair — was sent the script for Matlock.

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 told The New York Times, adding “It’s exhausting.”

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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," per Entertainment 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.' "

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

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