Kathy Bates on battling the 'abject terror' of leading the new “Matlock”

"I certainly profited from working with Ryan Murphy and all the wonderful characters there, but this is a new thing for me."

Matlock is getting meta.

In CBS' newest legal drama, Kathy Bates plays Madeline Matlock, a friendly, enthusiastic attorney who comes out of retirement to join an intense New York law firm. Although the series bears a vague resemblance to the '80s/'90s Andy Griffith show of the same name, the new Matlock is far from a conventional reboot: In the first episode's opening moments, Bates' protagonist introduces herself as "yes, Matlock, like the old TV show," and it's consistently clear the old program exists as a show in the world of the new one.

As a result, the show wields an ability to comment on — and, if it desires, distance itself from — the older project that shares its name. In contrast to the original series (or, at least, popular perceptions of it), the new Matlock maintains a lively, youthful spirit, with rapid-fire dialogue and a zippy pace reminiscent of writer-producer Jennie Snyder Urman's previous big project, Jane the Virgin.

And aside from Bates and Beau Bridges, who plays the head of the firm, Matlock's cast skews quite young. The supporting cast includes Skye P. Marshall as Olympia, the office's most relentless junior partner; Jason Ritter as her ex-husband Julian; Eme Ikwuakor as her coworker and potential new flame Elijah; David Del Rio as upbeat recent hire Billy; Leah Lewis as his steely counterpart Sarah; and Aaron D. Harris as Matty's brilliant young grandson Alfie.

Entertainment Weekly spoke to Bates about the pressure (and joy) of bringing Matlock back to life.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What initially attracted you to Matlock?

KATHY BATES: Jenny Urman and the script. Matty's a character that I really relate to, and the writing is incredible, in part because the story is not just episodic. Andy Griffith's iconic show from the '80s — it is an episodic. Our show does have a case every week, but there's also a serial aspect to it — a thread that goes through all of the episodes. When I saw that it was about something really current and important to talk about and to see, that appealed to me. We did a lot of research, but that feeling of doing something that is meaningful, really sealed a deal.

What's your relationship to the Andy Griffith version of Matlock?

I never really saw that series when it was going. I was in New York, working on stage, so I didn't watch TV at night because I was always working. I was certainly aware of it at the time, because it was so popular, but I didn't know the show at all.

Related: Kathy Bates reveals she got her 'feelings really hurt' early in her career: 'I’d get on a plane and fly home'

How did you make this role your own?

I really did a lot of digging deep in my own personal life, my own background, my own growing up, and all of the experiences that I've had personally, but also all of the things I've learned about the craft for the last 50 years. That's another joy that's been part of this, is that I'm able to use everything that I was taught and I've taught myself. And I'm able to do the whole spectrum of things that I love to do as an actor in one character. 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.

I feel like Jenny lives in my head — things will come up in the script that so closely echo my own experience. Even the years that she mentions that things happened, and I'm astounded, I keep thinking, "Did I say that to her?" And then I think, "No, I didn't say that to her. I know we didn't talk about that," and it's uncanny.

Related: The 25 greatest Best Actress winners in Oscar history

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 from Dune by the Bene Gesserit about fear. It's the mind killer. And I wrote that out in my script and had it there with me so that I could look at that because I didn't want to think about the tremendous responsibility of doing this role for so many months and letting anybody down. I can't think about that. I have to think about the work.

After I've done the inside work, then the scenes happen to me, and that's the way it's supposed to be. 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'm moving and breathing and on my feet all day and walking about three miles a day working, so I'm in fantastic shape. I feel good. I feel strong. I don't think I could have done this if that weren't the case.

Related: From the archives: Revisit James Caan's reunion with Misery costar Kathy Bates

A lot of your most intense scenes are shared with Skye P. Marshall. What's it like working with her?

I've always said acting is a real high wire act, and that's why when you have a partner like Skye, you don't have to worry. 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 someone I can stand toe-to-toe with, someone that I learn from every time we work together, her focus, her determination. She's had a very long and varied journey to this place in her life, and it's her time and she knows it. 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. I had no idea that I would be working with such a phenomenal actress and I can't wait for people to see her.

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

It's like nothing I've ever experienced, really. It's been a long time since I did network television, and the hallmark of this experience for me is the passion, the joy, the level of the craft that Jenny brings to each script, the intricacy, the cleverness, and the vibe on set. Everybody's excited, and you can just feel it. And so that's been a very new and wonderful experience for me. I mean, I certainly profited from working with Ryan Murphy and all the wonderful characters there, but this is a new thing for me. And I get to play a character that's really a normal person, an everyday person.


Matlock premieres Sunday, Sept. 22, on CBS.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.