• Kathy Bates opens up about being passed over for roles due to Hollywood’s beauty standards, despite her Oscar-winning talent.
• Bates originated the role of Frankie in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune but was replaced by Michelle Pfeiffer in the film adaptation.
• She continues to challenge industry biases, proving that talent far outweighs superficial standards.

It’s a crisp morning in Los Angeles, and Kathy Bates is sitting down for one of her most candid interviews yet. The 76-year-old Academy Award winner, known for her powerhouse performance in Misery, doesn’t shy away from laying Hollywood’s superficiality bare. Speaking to Vanity Fair for its June issue, Bates revisits a career laced with triumphs, slights, and one director’s refusal to cast her in a role she made iconic.

Bates Originates the Role of Frankie in Off-Broadway Hit

In the early ‘80s, Bates originated the role of Frankie in Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, an Off-Broadway hit that would later be adapted for the big screen by Garry Marshall.

Passed Over for Hollywood’s Beauty Standards

Yet, when the 1991 film came to fruition, Bates was passed over in favor of Michelle Pfeiffer, a decision she attributes to Hollywood’s unrelenting beauty standards. “He couldn’t make the leap that people would see me onscreen kissing someone,” Bates says of Marshall. “Me actually kissing a man onscreen—that would not be romantic.”

Success Overshadowed by Industry Bias

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The irony isn’t lost on Bates. Her career was at its zenith after winning the Best Actress Oscar for Misery, and yet, the industry remained fixated on her looks rather than her talent. Bates recalls another film, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, where a kissing scene with Aidan Quinn was cut.

A Tragicomedy of Rejection

The final blow came when a British journalist asked Quinn if their on-screen marriage was “realistic.” In a moment that could have been scripted for a tragicomedy, Bates booked a flight to clear her head—only to be greeted onboard by a magazine featuring Pfeiffer promoting Frankie and Johnny.

What Comes Next

Bates continues to challenge Hollywood’s narrow standards, proving talent transcends typecasting. What’s your take on Hollywood’s bias? Share your thoughts below and Follow The Dupree Report on WhatsApp for more stories like this.

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