Movies - TV
Kathy Bates Says This Is Her 'Achilles’ Heel' When It Comes To Acting
By CHRISTIAN GAINEY
In 1998, Kathy Bates took a huge step out of her comfort zone of dramatic acting and co-starred in the Adam Sandler comedy "The Waterboy." The role was a pivotal moment of growth for Bates, as she told Vanity Fair in 2020 that playing Mama Boucher helped her overcome one of her biggest flaws.
"I read the first 12 pages," Bates told Vanity Fair. "[The Waterboy’’] was really silly, it was a football movie, and I thought, eh, and I threw it in the trash." However, Bates' niece, who works with her, convinced her to reconsider, imploring, “Adam Sandler! [...] You've got to do this! You've got to do this!'” and Bates said, “Okay, let me read it again."
Bates reluctantly accepted the role and now cherishes the experience. She revealed, "One of my Achilles’ heels, both as a person and as an actor, [is that] I take things way too seriously. This was an opportunity to just let it all hang out, and just play and be silly, and it turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences of my whole life."