Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: Kathy Bates, matlock

Matlock Star David Del Rio on Learning from Kathy Bates, Co-Stars

David Del Rio spoke with Bleeding Cool about learning from Matlock star Kathy Bates, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, and his co-stars.

A sign of a great leader is not necessarily just taking charge front and center and mugging for the spotlight but also taking advantage of all the existing resources. It's something actor David Del Rio has learned being around Oscar winner Kathy Bates in the CBS legal drama series Matlock, a modern fourth wall-breaking reimagining of the original NBC and ABC series that starred Andy Griffith that not only acknowledges the TV series it's based from and its run from 1986-1995, but also its network jump. Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, who's also worked on other reboots with the 2018 incarnation of Charmed and 90210, flipped the narrative on the CBS series that follows retired lawyer Madeline Kingston (Bates), who returns to practicing law for the very firm she's trying to take down, by working her way up the ladder under her alias "Maddie Matlock." Del Rio spoke to Bleeding Cool about what he learned poking at Bates' brain concerning the "Craft" and his co-stars.

David Del Rio on Embracing the Matlock Journey Set by Star Kathy Bates and Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman

Bleeding Cool: What did you learn being around Kathy, and what were you able to talk about the craft with her?

I had a chance to have lunch with her one time in her trailer. We got to dive deep into where her training started and what parts of her training she keeps after 50 years in this industry. We got to share a lot about the process and all that stuff. We got to talk a lot about it and the thing I admire about watching her is her ability to stay in that creative flow with a pen and pencil with her script.

Kathy would circle things in the script of how [her character] Maddie picks up a cup of coffee, and she would write the "why" as to "Why is she picking up this cup of coffee?" Her notes would be from top to bottom of the page to show that the work never stops with her, no matter what. It's something amazing to behold and something that I want to take with me to season two because I get to have a chance to go deeper with my character, and that's something I'm going to be taking with me, just the homework of it all. It's something I admire about her.

Describe what it's like with your 'Matlock' co-stars Leah [Lewis], Jason [Ritter], and Skye [P. Marshall], and what they bring to the cast and the cohesion. What we wanted to focus on was to tell the best story we could. We wanted to honor the twist and the new outlook of what the show will be.

Within that, we love to bring positivity, laughter, and comedy to the set because this is the hardest-working crew. We're working at a time when it was and still is tough for actors to get jobs and get them shows to the boss or to be bought these days. The gratefulness of even having a job overwhelmed our ability to stay connected and have an absolute blast in doing that. There are many times we help each other out with running lines, constantly talking about the scenes, and rehearsing because we don't take this for granted.

We are a "diverse and dynamic theater troupe" is the way I always looked at it. The fact we came in every day doing serious scenes because we try to keep the spirit of it was nice for me not to be alone in that sort of attitude, bringing to the set. Everybody was connecting. We are concentrating on telling the best story we can, and it's a fantastic effort that I'm grateful to be a part of. All right. Well, I want to thank you for your time.

Matlock, which also stars Aaron D. Harris, Eme Ikwuakor, Sam Anderson, and Beau Bridges, airs on Thursdays on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+.

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