The talented Kathy Bates truly experienced the beginner’s luck that any rising actress likely would've loved to have at the start of their career. While the big star got her start on soap operas like The Doctors, One Life to Live and All My Children, she received her first Oscar nomination for one of Stephen King’s best movies Misery, and triumphantly won. Bates always thought she never thanked her mother in her acceptance speech, but she actually did -- and the emotional video of her realizing that has me in my feelings.
For Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning, horror movie performance in Misery, she played Annie Wilkes -- a nurse who’s obsessed with a writer she rescues from a car accident and keeps in captivity. Bates stated on CBS Sunday Morning that for a long time, she felt guilty for not thanking her mother in her Oscars speech. However, when shown that she did, she was overwhelmed:
Kathy Bates broke through as the chilling Annie Wilkes in Misery, a role that earned her an Oscar. Reflecting on her win, Bates fondly remembers her mother's humorous reaction and believed she missed an opportunity to honor her mother's sacrifices. Here, she discovers she hadn't. pic.twitter.com/5APcJpxXglOctober 6, 2024
Seeing the star's shocked reaction to discovering the truth of the moment truly is a visceral moment. You honestly feel like getting teary-eyed along with The Waterboy actress. I can imagine what a relief it must have been for her to know that she didn’t leave her mother out like she always believed she did. While agents, managers, spouses and the cast and crew of a movie are normally thanked during Oscar speeches, it’s incredibly touching when one honors their parents as well.
The Titanic actress was in utter disbelief after watching her Oscars speech, and one could also see the relief on her face, because she remembered her mother in her big career moment. When Ben Mankiewicz asked Kathy Bates why that moment meant so much to her, she gave a touching response that’ll make you want to grab those tissues again:
Because she should have had my life. When she died, I said, ‘Come into me.’ I wanted her spirit to come into me. Even though we had so many difficulties, I wanted her spirit to come into me and enjoy everything that I was enjoying because of what she had given up. Wow, thank you so much for that.
Winning an Oscar is one of those chance-of-a-lifetime moments. It makes a lot of sense why the Blind Side actor wanted her mother to experience the feeling of accomplishment that she felt at the Academy Awards ceremony.
The American actress went on to experience more achievements in her career such as two Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globes and a nomination for the Tonys and two BAFTAs noms. Kathy Bates was also willing to reverse her retirement plans by starring in the gender-flipping reboot of CBS’ Matlock series. I’m confident that the Fried Green Tomatoes actress will continue being an unstoppable force in her career going forward.
With all that Kathy Bates has accomplished, I’d like to believe her mother would be proud of her and touched that she was a part of her Oscars speech back in 1990. Seeing a video like that is enough to make one feel like giving their own mother a call to thank her just for being her.
You can revisit Ms. Bates’ Oscar-winning performance in Misery available on your Max subscription.
