Kathy Bates Reflects on Oscar Win and "Misery" at TCM Classic Film Festival

Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates recently revealed at the TCM Classic Film Festival that she was "crushed" when director Rob Reiner removed some of the more violent scenes from the 1990 film "Misery" that were present in Stephen King's original novel.

During a candid discussion with Reiner at the festival, Bates expressed disappointment about the toned-down violence in the film adaptation. The actress, who portrayed the obsessive fan Annie Wilkes opposite James Caan, had hoped the movie would more closely follow King's graphic source material.

In an interesting revelation, Bates also shared that Reiner had initially doubted she would win an Oscar for her performance. "Rob told me I would never win the Oscar for 'Misery' because it was a horror film," Bates recalled during the festival conversation. Despite Reiner's skepticism, Bates did indeed win the Academy Award, making "Misery" the only Stephen King adaptation to date to receive an Oscar.

The discussion also touched on casting decisions and production details from the iconic thriller, which has maintained its place in cinema history more than three decades after its release.