Entertainment Weeklyspoke to Bates about the pressure (and joy) of bringingMatlockback to life.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What initially attracted you toMatlock?

KATHY BATES:Jennie Urman and the script.

“Rome in a Day” – Coverage of the CBS Original Series MATLOCK, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Beau Bridges as Senior and Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock.

Beau Bridges and Kathy Bates on ‘Matlock’.Sonja Flemming/CBS

Andy Griffith’s iconic show from the ’80s it is an episodic.

What’s your relationship to the Andy Griffith version ofMatlock?

I never really saw that series when it was going.

“Rome in a Day” – Coverage of the CBS Original Series MATLOCK, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock, Leah Lewis as Sarah and David Del Rio as Billy.

Kathy Bates, Leah Lewis, and David Del Rio on ‘Matlock’.Sonja Flemming/CBS

How did you make this role your own?

So in preparing, I dug a lot.

I went down into the basement of my own insecurities and failures and regrets to understand what Madeline feels.

The thing I keep going back to is the regrets.

And then I think, “No, I didn’t say that to her.

I know we didn’t talk about that,” and it’s uncanny.

What were some of the challenges of preparing for this role?

For the pilot, I went through a moment of just abject terror of creating this woman.

So the first thing I had to do was manage my fear.

Every day I went out to focus on the scenes and the work and not succumb to the fear.

But in the mornings before I began, it really took a moment to focus.

And it’s that wonderful saying fromDuneby the Bene Gesserit about fear.

It’s the mind killer.

I can’t think about that.

I have to think about the work.

I mean, it is hard work.

I’m lucky that physically I’m in shape.

I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life.

I’ve lost about a hundred pounds over the last few years.

I don’t think I could have done this if that weren’t the case.

A lot of your most intense scenes are shared with Skye P. Marshall.

What’s it like working with her?

You know that you’re going to catch each other.

I get my performance from her.

She’s a phenomenal actress, clearly one of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with.

She’s very joyful despite what she might seem like on screen, this very driven character.

It’s a real joy to go to work and be with her.

And that was just an unexpected gift.

How does the overall energy on set compare to your previous projects?

It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced, really.

Everybody’s excited, and it’s possible for you to just feel it.

And so that’s been a very new and wonderful experience for me.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.