Kathy Bates is stepping away from acting following her latest TV project

Her new role on a CBS show will be her final on screen performance.

By Joe Allen September 9, 2024

Kathy Bates in Matlock. — CBS

Few actors have had careers as diverse and impressive as Kathy Bates, but after decades of success, it seems she’s ready to hang up her spurs. In an interview with The New York Times, Bates announced that her upcoming role on CBS’s Matlock reboot will be her final performance.

In the interview, Bates also said that she had considered retiring from film in 2023 after an unpleasant experience on a film set. Now, it seems that she’s made the call to be done for good.

“It becomes my life. Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent. Because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life,” Bates said of the way that acting can leave little room for anything else in her life.

Bates said that the script for Matlock ultimately convinced her to return for one final role. The series follows Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a lawyer who comes out of retirement and uses her own unassuming demeanor and her guile 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,” she said of the role, adding that it had also been “exhausting.”

In addition to Bates, this reboot of the Andy Griffith series also stars Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, David Del Rio, and Leah Lewis. Bates’s involvement, and the news that this is her swan song, could increase interest in the series. It’s unclear how long it might run, though, so while it might be her final project, that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing Bates on TV for years to come. The show will likely stream on Paramount+ after airing.

Contributor

Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…

Culture

Timothee Chalamet and ‘The Nanny’ star Fran Drescher are teaming up for a new movie

The movie is set in the world of 1950s ping pong, whatever that might mean.

Timothee Chalamet in Lady Bird

Few actors have been more successful over the past half-decade than Timothee Chalamet. The actor has proven himself across a wide variety of projects and has managed to anchor the remarkably successful Dune franchise. Timothee is also about to play Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, which could get him some attention from awards voters.

His next project, though, is a collaboration with Josh Safdie, one of the directors behind Uncut Gems and Good Time. The movie, which is called Marty Supreme, also stars Fran Drescher, the current president of SAG and the former star of The Nanny, and Gwyneth Paltrow. While plot details are scant, Variety has reported that the film is a "fictional work set in the world of 1950s ping pong culture.”

Culture

‘The Apprentice’ filmmakers blame ‘cowardice’ for their inability to find a buyer

The film's explicit political subject matter has made it a target for Donald Trump's campaign.

Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice

With just a month left until the presidential election, it's easy to see why a movie like The Apprentice might be even more controversial than it would be otherwise. The film, which tells the story of a young Donald Trump in the 1970s and early 1980s as he studies under lawyer Roy Cohn, was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival, but didn't have a buyer or a release date until quite recently. Given the movie's fraught subject matter, and the fact that it's now being released before the election, it's easy to see why some major studios might have balked at the idea of acquiring it.

Director Ali Abbasi, though, has a slightly different explanation for why they couldn't find a buyer.
"It was pretty shocking for me after the reception we got in Cannes," he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I understand it from the business perspective of not wanting to have trouble, but we're not in the business of ice creams. We're not selling shoes. So yeah, it was shocking."
Veteran studio executive Tom Ortenberg ultimately purchased the film under his label, Briarcliff Entertainment, and said that he was also surprised that no one else had grabbed the movie. "I'm so disappointed that literally nobody else in Hollywood would distribute The Apprentice," he said. "It's shockingly disappointing to me to be living and working in an industry where that's the case."

Culture

9 best horror movies to stream on Max now

These are must-see horror flicks if you're a fan of the genre

Jack Nicholson in The Shining

It's horror season yet again! While some people might like to get scared year-round, most reserve the willies for October right before Halloween rolls around. Setting up decorations and going to a haunted house are hallowed traditions, but don't forget to watch your favorite spooky flicks during a lazy Saturday night on the couch. There's nothing like fall leaves and colder weather to put someone in the mood for a frightening story.

Netflix and Hulu have great movies for horror fans, but Max might top both of these streamers. The formerly titled HBO affiliation mixes a great variety of old and new classics in the genre. Zombies, dark lakes, creepy cabins, and so much more: It's a great time to look in one place for all the best hits, and they're covered here. These are the best horror movies on Max.