Former ‘American Idol’ Winner Reportedly a Frontrunner To Play Dolly Parton in Upcoming Biopic

The sudden passing of Dolly Parton came as a shock to most fans. Although she removed herself from the spotlight over the last few months, Dolly kept her battle with cancer a secret from the world. Knowing that the end would eventually come, the Queen of Country Music apparently had more than enough projects in the works to keep her in the headlines for the next decade. With her sadly passing away at 80, it seemed that a biopic was one of those projects. And the current lineup of stars being considered might come as a surprise. 

A biopic about the life, career, and legacy of Dolly might be incredibly hard to put into a single feature film. A series surrounding the singer might be more fitting. But for now, with the biopic moving forward, an insider from Radar Online claimed that former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was currently a frontrunner to tackle the role of Dolly. 

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While Underwood and Dolly weren’t twins, the singer had the capabilities of matching the icon’s sound. Spending her career in country music, Underwood was more than a fan of Dolly. The two got the chance to collaborate in the past at the CMA Awards. Underwood and Dolly also shared the spotlight when they performed a duet of “I Will Always Love You.” 

[RELATED: Wynonna Judd Is Still Struggling To Accept Dolly Parton’s Death: “I Still Have Her Voice on My Voicemail” (Exclusive)]

Dolly Parton Picked Her Own Star To Portray Her: “Get Some Bigger Boobs”

Second on the list was another singer, Sabrina Carpenter. While holding numerous awards, including Grammys and Emmys, she branched into Hollywood with roles in Clouds, Tall Girl, and Confessions II. With her background in music and film, Carpenter getting the chance to embrace the vibrant persona of Dolly could land her on the Academy Award stage. 

Other stars supposedly tossed around were Sydney Sweeney and Hilary Duff. Both brought something completely different to the table. With Sweeney becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars and Duff’s decades of experience balancing music and acting, the biggest question wasn’t whether Hollywood could find the talent – it was who could capture the personality that made Dolly impossible to duplicate.

Just a few years ago, Dolly added her voice to the conversation. And according to the Queen of Country Music herself, she would pick Miley Cyrus. “Miley would have the voice. She’d have to raise it up a few octaves.”  Although Cyrus had the talent, Dolly saw the singer having only one problem. “She’d have to put on some weight, and get some bigger boobs.” 

Hollywood might spend months debating who could possibly play Dolly, but the country legend already answered the question herself. Whether producers listened was another story.

(Photo by: Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)