When a fan recently asked actress Kristin Chenoweth what her dream role would be, the actress/singer had no hesitation and responded to the post within 10 minutes with her answer: “Dolly Parton.”
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Apparently, the feeling is mutual for Parton. “I love Kristin Chenoweth,” said Parton in a 2020 interview. “She’s just absolutely fantastic.”
The Broadway star would like to play the country music legend in a biopic or musical of her life and already hinted at her preparation for the role when she performed Parton’s hit “Jolene” on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021.
“Dolly, hurry up,” said Chenoweth. “I’m ready.”
Parton has been plotting a musical film around her life and career for several years. Previously focused on a Broadway musical, Parton switched gears to focus on a movie instead following the pandemic. Joking that she may play herself in her later years, Parton said that actresses she originally wanted to play her have aged out of the role since the project has been in development for many years.
“We were talking about doing my Broadway musical, and we were really, really far out ahead of that, and then the COVID hit and that changed my mind about a whole lot of things,” said Parton. “I do intend someday to be on Broadway, but I’m thinking now that I might do my life story as a feature—maybe possibly even a musical feature—so we’re in talks about that.”
Photo: Kristin Chenoweth (John Russo); Dolly Parton (Stacie Huckeba/Butterfly Records LLC)
