Kathy Bates is crediting Ryan Murphy with revitalizing her career after casting her on American Horror Story.
During an appearance on the Dinner’s On Me podcast, the Matlock star, 76, explained why she thought Murphy, 59, “rejuvenated my career” when she joined the cast of the hit FX anthology series — which he co-created with Brad Falchuk — following the cancellation of her legal comedy drama show, Harry’s Law, in 2012.
“Right before he gave me the opportunity to do the show, I had breast cancer and Harry’s Law had been cancelled rather unpleasantly…” she told host Jesse Tyler Ferguson. “When that summer happened, it was degrading. I felt kind of humiliated. I felt like I had let my cast down and had never been through an experience like that.”
FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection
“And then breast cancer, which does run in my family, so I wasn’t surprised,” she added. “But, it was more painful than I thought it was going to be and I really felt like this is my career over.”
As fans may recall, Bates appeared in season 3 of American Horror Story, playing Delphine LaLaurie. She starred in the following three seasons and made her final appearance in season 8, playing Miriam Mead, Miriam Mead 2.0, and Delphine LaLaurie.
The Academy Award winner now stars as Madeline Matlock on the CBS reboot of the legal drama Matlock, which is a twist on the original series that ran from 1986 to 1995 and starred Andy Griffith.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” she said of the new role. “I’ve been counseled by my PR lady not to say it’s the best experience that I’ve had. But I can’t help it. I can’t help it.”
In October, Bates confirmed to PEOPLE that she isn’t ready to step away from the industry after she made headlines for saying the Matlock reboot would be her “last dance” after a five-decade career.
“I think people got confused and thought I was going to retire,” she said. “What I meant was, how can it get any better? I would love for this to keep going.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty
The hit series gave Bates renewed hope after a period of frustration due to the limited roles being offered to a woman her age.
“I remember calling my agents and saying, ‘I think maybe I want to go into, if not retirement, semi-retirement. If I can’t afford to keep my house, I’ll sell it and maybe go to New York,’” she shared at the time. “Then this happened. I couldn’t believe it.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Matlock airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
Read the full article here
