Kathy Bates is putting up her acting boots!

In a recent interview with The York Times, published on Sunday, Sept. 8, the actress, 76, who plays Madeline Matlock in the revival Matlock, stated that the program will most likely be her last.

“This is my last dance,” she stated, confessing that she had previously considered quitting after sobbing on her sofa during an undisclosed movie shoot.

“It becomes my life,” she told the publication. “I sometimes feel envious of having this gift. I can’t hold it back, and all I want is my life.

Bates, whose acting credits include Misery, Titanic, and 2024’s A Family Affair, put his retirement intentions on hold after receiving the Matlock screenplay.

While the 1987 series followed defense lawyer Benjamin Matlock (Andy Griffith) as he charged exorbitant fees to fight for people’s cases, the remake series will follow Bates’ character as she returns to the legal profession as a senior, utilizing her unassuming image to win cases.

The Oscar winner told The New York Times, “Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, and clawed my way up for, I’m suddenly able to use all of it. It’s exhausting.”

This is a big cry from Bates’ days as a young actress. She publicly acknowledged in July that she would “get my feelings really hurt,” according to Entertainment Weekly. “Sometimes I’d get on a plane and fly home,” she told me.

This was particularly evident when she became the focus of the British tabloid press while working as a theatrical actor in the British capital.

“I had a brilliant producer, Saul Zaentz.” God rest him. I vividly recall our time in London, which felt akin to a nightmare. The British press… But I remember being extremely upset,” she added. “And I replied, ‘I’m going home. That’s it. I am not going to put myself through this anymore. And I remember Saul approaching me and saying, ‘You should grow harder.'”

Matlock premieres on CBS on September 22 and will subsequently be available for streaming on Paramount+.