Dolly Parton Revealed the Movie That Was an ‘Absolute Joy’ to Work On
While Dolly Parton is primarily a musician, she has acted in her fair share of movies. After her debut film role in Nine to Five, Parton established herself as an actor, picking up critical acclaim and even several awards nominations. Parton enjoyed acting, but some films were more enjoyable than others. She revealed one movie that was a particular joy to make.
Dolly Parton loved working on one movie
Parton starred in a handful of movies and said that her experience varied from set to set. One movie she particularly enjoyed making was not all that popular with critics, but that mattered little to her.
“One movie that was an absolute joy to make was Straight Talk,” she wrote in her book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “I am as proud of it as of anything I have ever done.”
She contributed to the film’s soundtrack, a major high point for her, but she also liked that she was able to make creative changes to the script.
“The character was one that was very close to me,” she wrote. “I was also able to inject a considerable amount of what might be called ‘homespun wit’ into the script. Someone would say ‘if we could do so-and-so,’ to which I would say something like, ‘If a frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump its a** when it jumps.’ The rest of the cast and crew would break up in hysterics. The next thing I knew that line was being spoken by my character in the film.”
Parton also said she learned a great deal from director Barnett Kellman, which made the film feel like a valuable growing experience.
She particularly liked working with her co-star
When Parton first signed on to the movie, people warned her about her co-star, James Woods. She found him very pleasant to work with, though.
“I love James Woods. People had warned me that he could be difficult to work with, but to me he was a thrill to be around, although I never saw him off the set,” she wrote. “He is very talented and intelligent, and I respect him for those things.”
It didn’t hurt that she thought Woods was a good kisser.
“What I remember him for is that he is a great kisser,” she wrote. “I don’t know what it is that makes one man able to kiss so much better than another. If I did, I would put that in a book that would sell a helluva lot better than this one. Whatever it is, James Woods has it in spades.”
Dolly Parton said she doesn’t consider herself an actor despite her many movie roles
Parton acted in many films over the course of her career, but she never really considered herself an actor. She has grown comfortable with performing on camera, though.
“Although I still do not consider myself an actress, I will say that I have become more comfortable in front of a camera,” she wrote. “I might also say that this only applies to cameras I put myself in front of intentionally.”
