Kathy Bates lays bare struggles in Hollywood: 'It exists'

Kathy Bates recently got candid about ageism in Hollywood, sharing how it is restricting opportunities for actors in many ways.

Speaking to her Matlock co-stars in Pasadena, California during a Q&A session, the 76-year-old actress, who is now portraying the role of lawyer Madeline Matlock in the reboot of the 1980s' legal drama series, explained: "A woman my age would never have such a role, ever. The complexity; the writing. A lot of ageism exists, and I've only been interested in doing the best work I can possibly do."

In addition, she claimed that the actress could never land leading roles in films and TV shows at this time in her career given the entertainment industry's bias against women of her age.

The Titanic star, who won an Academy Award for playing a nurse in the 1990 thriller Misery, appeared in films, including My Best Friend Is A Vampire and Dick Tracy.

Previously, Kathy told Extra that she went through a major transformation after coming to terms with diabetes in her family.

She said: "I was facing diabetes — it runs in my family — and I really didn't want to live with that."