Kathy Bates claims she lost starring role in Garry Marshall film to Michelle Pfeiffer due to her looks
Despite the actress, 76, originating the role of Frankie in the Off-Broadway production, she was allegedly denied the part for the 1991 movie adaptation 'Frankie and Johnny' due to superficial reasons.
The film — which ended up starring Michelle Pfeiffer as the waitress Frankie and Al Pacino as short-order cook Johnny — was directed by Garry Marshall, who refused to cast Bates.
7 F. Murray Abraham and Kathy Bates in 'Frankie and Johnny.'
Courtesy Everett Collection
'He couldn't make the leap that people would see me onscreen kissing someone,' she claimed to Vanity Fair in an interview published Tuesday. 'Me actually kissing a man onscreen — that would not be romantic.'
Bates was nominated for an Obie Award and Drama Desk Award for her part as Frankie on the stage, but it had no bearing on Marshall's decision. Marshall died at age 81 in 2016.
The 'Misery' star is used to commentary about her appearance, with a journalist once saying to her 'you're not Michelle Pfeiffer,' along with hearing jabs from her own family.
7 F. Murray Abraham and Kathy Bates in the Off-Broadway production of 'Frankie and Johnny.'
Courtesy Everett Collection
'Well, I've always had that,' Bates recalled, sharing that one time her dad told her acting teacher, 'You know, she's not conventionally attractive.'
The same year as 'Frankie and Johnny,' Bates starred opposite Aidan Quinn in the adventure/drama 'At Play in the Fields of the Lord.'
While promoting the project, a journalist asked the actor, 66: 'You're a leading man. Is it believable that you and Kathy would be married?'
'I went upstairs,' Bates admitted. 'I locked the door, and I cried like a kindergartner.'
7 Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1991 movie 'Frankie and Johnny.'
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
'I wanted to get on a plane,' she continued. 'They said, 'Actually, Ms. Bates, there's one leaving right now.' I said, 'Great. Get me on it.' I got on Virgin Air. Sat down. Picked up a magazine. It's about 'Frankie and Johnny.''
The Hollywood vet took home the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Annie Wilkes in 'Misery' that year.
'I was in my prime,' she told the outlet. 'I was in my 40s by then, and I felt totally in command — and powerful.'
7 Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1991 film.
Courtesy Everett Collection
7 Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates.
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Now, 34 years later, Bates is taking the screen by storm once more, starring as Madeline 'Matty' Matlock on the CBS drama 'Matlock.'
'I'm doing everything I was trained to do,' she explained about the role. 'It's not that I hit every note exactly right, but I get to try. And I keep trying, and I keep trying.'
Although the actress doesn't see herself retiring anytime soon, she does share: 'I have a feeling this is going to be the last thing I do. I hope we run a good while — I really do.'
7 Michelle Pfeiffer attends the 49th Annual AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre on April 27, 2024.
Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery
7 Kathy Bates attends the CBS Fest 2025 at Paramount Studios on May 07, 2025.
FilmMagic
Bates even took home the award for Best Actress in a Drama during the 2025 Critics' Choice Awards.
Despite her career renaissance — and recently losing 100 pounds — the 'American Horror Story' alum admits she still doesn't 'feel comfy.'
'I never felt that I belonged, but that's okay. I see them sail away in their gowns….,' she said with a grin. 'So now? It's sweet revenge. Oh, Miss Beauty Queen, you had a career up until your 40s and you can't work? Too bad!'
'I'll think, Oh, you shouldn't say this; oh, you shouldn't say that,' she confessed. 'But then I say, 'F–k it—I'm 76. Can't I just say it?''
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