Kathy Bates hasn’t let her foot off the gas since making her entrance into the entertainment industry in the 1970s — and yet fans still wonder if the “Misery” and “Titanic” actor’s career will soon come to an end.
Bates stopped by the “Jennifer Hudson Show” on Wednesday to discuss her new role in the reboot of the ’80s crime drama “Matlock” and to address whispers about her potential retirement.
“Now Kathy, you know people have rumors [that] you may retire?” Hudson asked.
“I’m not going to retire,” Bates said. Her main reason for continuing? The fun she’s been having with the cast of “Matlock.”
This comment comes on the heels of a September interview with The New York Times where Bates said that her role in the crime drama was her “last dance.”
During last year’s Emmys, Bates spoke with Entertainment Weekly and further clarified her comments.
“What I meant was, I had one foot out the door until I read the script for ‘Matlock,‘” she explained. “And then I read ‘Matlock’ and I said, ‘Okay, close the door. We’re gonna do some more.’ I want it to run for years. It’s that great.”
Throughout the interview, her fellow cast mates expressed their admiration for Bates. Skye P. Marshall said, “Kathy is in the pocket with so many cultures, [and] communities,” while David Del Rio referred to her as “the queen.”
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Bates’ warmth, however, extends far beyond the set of her recent project. During this year’s awards season, Bates and “Shōgun’s” Anna Sawai found themselves locked in a tight competition for the coveted title of Best Actress in a TV drama — but formed a bond amid the competition.
“Kathy Bates and I met for the first time at the Emmys, and she sent me flowers when I won and I sent her flowers when she won for the Critics’ Choice [Awards],” Sawai told People during a Vanity Fair event. “And we started texting, so I think she’s someone who I can very much rely on if I need any advice.”