Dolly Parton Once Felt Like She Was Shut out of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Hannah Montana’ Movie
Dolly Parton once collaborated with fellow pop singer Miley Cyrus on her hit Disney show Hannah Montana. Although Parton appeared in many of the show’s episodes, she was missing from the actual Hannah Montana movie — a move that surprised the Grammy winner.
Dolly Parton wanted to be in the ‘Hannah Montana’ movie
Parton portrayed Cyrus’ aunt in the hit Disney television series. But the singer also considered herself somewhat related to Cyrus. Parton claimed Cyrus as her Goddaughter in real life and felt great pride watching the artist in Hannah Montana.
“Well, when Hannah Montana came on the air and little Miley Cyrus, my little goddaughter, was the star of it, I was so proud of her,” Parton once told Vanity Fair. “I thought she was sensational. I thought ‘What a great little comedian she is’ and what a great little actress and of course she’s a great singer. But she was so perfect in that spot.”
Eventually, Cyrus wanted Parton to be a part of Hannah Montana as well and asked for the singer to be written into the program.
“And she told them that, you know, she said ‘I want my Aunt Dolly on here’ [she calls me Aunt Dolly] and she so she said ‘I want her on the show,’” Parton said. “So they wrote me in the show and we just worked so great together. And I was on a few times.”
However, despite Parton’s guest appearances on the show, she was noticeably absent from 2009’s Hannah Montana movie. But according to Female First, this disappointed Parton since was interested in doing the feature.
“I’m not in the movie. I wish I had been. I said I would love to [be in it]! I assumed that they were gonna be writing me a part,” she said.
Apparently, producers did not find a way to include Parton’s character in the film. The plot featured Cyrus’ character returning to her hometown in Tennessee, which could have theoretically opened the door for a Parton appearance.
Dolly Parton once reacted to Miley Cyrus criticisms
After Hannah Montana, Cyrus underwent a bit of a rebel phase that was a stark contrast to her image on the Disney show. This era in Cyrus’ life turned a lot of heads, including Parton’s. The singer found herself fielding many questions regarding Cyrus’ behavior back then. But Parton understood where her goddaughter was coming from. She felt Cyrus’ phase was an attempt to distance herself from the Hannah Montana persona.
“I’ll never say anything bad about Miley ’cause I know she’s smart,” Parton said according to AZ Central. “And I know she’s talented. And I know she’s had to go to drastic measures to try to make her point: ‘Leave me alone. I am not Hannah Montana anymore. I want to grow up.'”
Parton compared the response to Cyrus with how critics reacted to her when she first came out. There were some who also tried to change the way Parton looked and acted back in her day.
“But I never let that stop me from being the business girl that I was,” Parton said. “I knew my songs were good even if I had been ugly as sin. I felt like I could sing, even if I had been ugly as sin. So I thought, ‘Well, I would have probably chose to look this way even if I had been a waitress.’ I mean, this is my look. I mean, I like a lot of makeup. I like a lot of hair. I like flashy clothes. I like to show it off. But that’s just who I am.”
Would Dolly Parton work with Miley Cyrus again?
Parton and Cyrus are both in different places in their careers currently. Still, Parton wouldn’t mind teaming up with the singer for one, or a couple, more rodeos.
“I like to think I have a future with Miley,” Parton said in a 2016 interview with Digital Spy. “I have known her since she was a baby. I think her voice is as great if not greater than most of the girls in the business. I love her acting! I do have plans. I would love to do some movies with her, possibly even a series. I definitely would love to do music with her. I do think there are things in the future for Miley and me!”
