Kathy Bates recently told a relatable story to Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) on hisDinner’s On Mepodcast (viaTheWrap) when both she and fellow Oscar winnerMeryl Streeplost the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2003:They drowned their sorrows with vodka at the bar.
“It was a very Joan Crawford-Bette Davis moment. She slammed her evening bag down on the bar and said, ‘I’m having a vodka, straight, neat,’ and I slammed my evening bag down, I said, ‘I’m having what she’s having,’ and we tossed it. It was a moment.”
Zeta-Jones won the Oscar forChicago, playing Velma Kelly. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Film Editing. Meanwhile, Bates was nominated for her role as Roberta Hertzel inAbout Schmidt, a film that features Jack Nicholson playing completely against type. Streep was nominated for playing real-life author and journalist, Susan Orlean, in the underratedAdaptation.,with Nicholas Cage playing the film’s screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman as he adaptsThe Orchid Thiefby Orlean, and also his fictional twin brother, Donald.
Following Zeta-Jones picking up the trophy, and during a commercial break,Streep whisked Bates away to the bar. “It really was a moment,” she explained. “We turned and toasted each other, and I could see in her eyes, and I’m sure she could see in mine, how we wanted it so badly. We thought, ‘Oh, we’re so close.’”
Kathy Bates and Meryl Streep are Multiple Oscar Winners
While Bates and Streep clearly wanted to win Best Supporting Actress for their respective roles inAbout SchmidtandAdaptation.,both have won Oscars for their performances in legendary films. Additionally, both have been nominated multiple times for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscars.
Streep hasearned the most Academy Award nominations ever, 21 total, for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. She won three times, forKramer vs. Kramer(1979, for Best Supporting Actress),Sophie’s Choice(1982, for Best Actress), andThe Iron Ladyportraying Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (2011, for Best Actress). Other critically acclaimed roles includeThe Devil Wears Prada, The Bridges of Madison County,andOut of Africa.
Kathy Bates' Mom Was Not Very Impressed With Her Big Oscar Win
The legendary actress was also shocked to learn that she didn’t forget to thank her mother at the Oscars.
Meanwhile, Bates won a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Rob Reiner’s superb adaptation of Stephen King’sMisery(1990) as super fan Annie Wilkes, who holds her favorite author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) hostage following a car crash. She received nods for Best Supporting Actress forPrimary Colors(1998),About Schmidt, andRichard Jewell(2019). She’s received nominations and awards from just about every major awards category, including BAFTA, the SAG Awards, Golden Globes, and more.
Bates has also made a successful transition to television, starring or co-starring in several TV series, includingThe Late Shift,Six Feet Under, The Office, Harry’s Law, Disjointed(whereher talents were arguably wasted), and theMatlockreboot. She won Emmys forTwo and a Half MenandAmerican Gothic: Coven.Matlockalready received a season two order, which will seeBates continue as Madeline Matlock.
About Schmidt
