WARNING: This article contains spoilers for theMatlockseries premiere.
CBS’Matlockpremiere ended with a staggering twist.
“I carry the weight of that loss every day,” she says midway through the episode.
Kathy Bates in ‘Matlock’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
“I thought about what Id do for my daughter.
And the answer is: anything.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How didMatlock’s subject matter appeal to you as you considered taking on the project?
Kathy Bates on ‘Matlock’.Brooke Palmer/CBS
It’s a long-term battle, and people get involved just through no fault of their own.
What’s challenging about playing a character living a double life?
Well, the first challenge for me was ‘Is it believable?’
And he paused and then he said, ‘Yeah, I could do it.’
And he’s someone I’m very close to.
Then you have to track what’s going on with her in terms of her mission.
Why is she reacting to this person in this way?
How can she go this far?
All of these different things.
It requires really thinking things through.
Brooke Palmer/CBS
What other challenges does Matty present?
I don’t have a child.
That’s a real challenge for me.
What emotions drive Matty?
It’s like Jacob Marley fromA Christmas Carol: we drag those boxes around behind us.
And that’s certainly the big thing for Matty, that level of guilt.
Is there any passion in Matty’s work beyond her personal mission?
There’s an unexpected gift in coming back to work.
I think she didn’t expect to get involved with the people that the firm represented in their cases.
She forgot what it was like.
There’s the scene in the pilot when she realizes, “I can’t do this.
These are real people.
I forgot what this was like.”
But then as she gets into it, she feels a tremendous reward.
And that’s what happens with Matty.
She gets very involved.
And of course, her relationship with Olympia starts to grow.
Matty loved being a lawyer before her daughter died.
She loved her life, and this is awakening her to what she enjoyed with all of it.
So it becomes tremendously complex for her to navigate those waters.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Matlockwill continue with new episodes Thursdays starting Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
