Bates faced fierce competition from Emma D’Arcy for House of the Dragon, Keira Knightley for Black Doves, Maya Erskine, Keri Russell, and Anna Sawai. Nevertheless, she apparently had enough optimism to prepare a speech.
She made this known to viewers during the show, though not by delivering it on stage.
When the winner was announced, revealing her loss to Sawai for Shōgun, Bates humorously displayed her scripted speech.
Cameras captured the nominees’ reactions at the moment Sawai was declared the winner. While her fellow nominees applauded, Bates added a comical, albeit slightly awkward, touch to her response.
Just as the camera was about to move on, Bates was seen tearing a piece of paper—likely her speech—and letting it fall to the floor, all while maintaining eye contact with the camera.
Viewers quickly highlighted Bates’ reaction on social media, with one commenting, “Kathy Bates ripping up her speech was peak legend energy!”
Though this award eluded her, Bates has previously expressed how Matlock has influenced her life, particularly as an actress in her mid-70s.
In an interview with CBS last year, she stated, “All of a sudden, I got this script, and I thought, ‘Oh wow. I’ve got to do it.’”
She added, “That was also a big deal for me about being invisible. There’s so many women my age who really do feel invisible, and these years are difficult to put that despair at bay to get through every day. I think if I wasn’t doing this show, I might feel the same way. But it’s all changed overnight.”
Sawai’s victory was just one of many accolades for Shōgun, which also claimed awards for Best Television Series — Drama and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Drama Series.