Why Kathy Bates Was “Crushed” ‘Misery’ Director Cut Gruesome Detail From Stephen King’s Novel

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Kathy Bates wishes Misery was even more miserable. 

As a hardcore movie enthusiast, I recently had the privilege of attending the TCM Classic Film Festival, where Andy Griffith, famously known for his role in Matlock, shared the spotlight with director Rob Reiner. We reminisced about the chilling 1990 horror flick we both worked on, which was based on Stephen King’s 1987 novel, “Misery.” In this movie, my character, Annie Wilkes, comes to the rescue of the beloved author Paul Sheldon, played by James Caan, after a gruesome car crash.

Following her “rescue,” Annie subjected Paul to a sequence of torments. Originally in the narrative, Paul lost his foot; however, this specific aspect was left out in Reiner’s version – a change that Bates found unappealing.

She expressed her disappointment to Reiner because he removed something, and she absolutely did not concur with it, as reported by IndieWire.”

“She informed Reiner that she was upset because he had eliminated something, and she strongly disagreed with it, as per IndieWire’s report.

As we chatted, we delved into the topic of Bates’ Academy Award-winning portrayal, a recognition I never expected her to earn for that particular role.

According to Bates, you said, “You can try, but it’s not going to happen,” to which she replied that it was because it was like a horror movie and unlikely. However, Reiner was incorrect as Bates ended up winning the Oscar for Best Actress in 1991, an achievement he fondly recalled. He said, “Yes! Yes!” upon hearing the news.

Initially, Annie felt “shocked” upon seeing the movie for the first time, fearing that her acting career could be over, as she candidly confessed. However, despite this initial response, Annie ultimately proved to be successful for Bates.

In the eyes of Reiner, the four-time Oscar nominee seemed an ideal choice for the character, however, finding the right actor to embody Paul proved tricky. He revealed that William Hurt, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, and even Warren Beatty were all approached for the role but declined. At one stage, Warren Beatty was also set to take on the part and contributed to the script-writing process as well.

According to Reiner, he stated, “‘This isn’t a horror flick or a thriller,’ instead it’s about prison life. The main character is behind bars and must be as cunning as you to find a way out.” Later on, Beatty expressed some doubts. He said, “I’m not sure if I want to take part in it,” he mentioned further.

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2025-04-30 01:54