With ‘Matlock,’ Kathy Bates Is Very Aware How ‘Unreal’ This Moment Is

The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

For Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, “it’s all about the work.” lately, she’s been working a lot. In the reimagining of CBS’ Matlock, Bates plays Madeline Matlock, a woman rejoining the workforce at a prestigious law firm in her senior years. The first season of the show, which “has caught fire with 10 million people,” says Bates, is such a success that CBS has already renewed it for a second season. “I feel grateful to play the role. I feel grateful to have this opportunity. I’m just thrilled with the numbers.” Those numbers represent a portion of society who might feel unseen. “The boomer generation has been pushed to the side. But in fact, we are a powerful force to be reckoned with.” While Bates says she was “absolutely terrified” to see her face on a billboard, she’s aware this moment in her career is rare. “To have this happen is just absolutely unreal.” “From the very beginning, I knew that the work speaks for itself. I made a choice that I was going to become the best I could be, and I was going to make it impossible for them to say no, because of what I could do as an actor.”

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