Kathy Bates opened up about her weight, her looks and plans to retire.
The 76-year-old actress surprised fans earlier this month when she announced that her upcoming TV series Matlock would signify her retirement. In a new interview, she explained what she meant and when she really plans to hang up her hat.
She also addressed how her looks affected her career from the very beginning and revealed that she’d lost 100 pounds over the last few years.
Keep reading to find out more…
Speaking to Variety, Kathy explained that she was hopeful that Matlock would continue for “several years” before ending. So that doesn’t mean that she’s planning to retire this year!
The actress looked back on her career, saying that she knew it would take a while to get established because she “wasn’t a beauty queen.” However, she added that her looks might have helped her in the long run.
“I have to say I give an inner wink when I see friends who have been beauty queens who are no longer working because of ageism, and in my case, I’ve been able to continue working for many years because I don’t look like that. I don’t think I would have gotten the role in Misery if I had been a beauty queen,” she said.
Kathy added that she’d lost a significant amount of weight over the last “six or seven years.”
“I don’t think I’ve been this slim since I was in college,” she said, explaining that she was at her heaviest while filming Harry’s Law in 2011. “I had to sit down every moment that I could. It was hard for me to walk. I’m ashamed I let myself get so out of shape, but now I have a tremendous amount of energy.”
Check out the trailer for Matlock and learn more about the show’s cast.
