Dolly Parton wants Tony-winner Kristin Chenoweth to play her in a biopic. Parton's colorful life began in a one-room cabin on the banks of Little Pigeon River in Tennessee with her family. Growing up surrounded by music, the legend goes that Parton began performing on local television and radio shows by ten years old. She first punctured the country music stratosphere in the 1960s, quickly rising to superstardom. Parton's star power amplified when she set her sights on Hollywood, wowing the world with 9 to 5 in 1980, which she later adapted into a hit Broadway show. Flashing forward to 2022, the megastar defines pop culture, continually churning out new music, movies, books, and more.
Parton has publicly discussed turning her rags to riches story into a biopic for quite some time. In 2015, the superstar tapped into her childhood for NBC's made-for-television drama Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors. The movie was based on the Parton family struggles in 1955 as they scraped by in the Great Smoky Mountains. Alyvia Alyn Lind played a nine-year-old version of Dolly alongside country star Jennifer Nettles as her mom. Of course, the movie didn't cover the lauded talent's entire life. Parton has gone on to say her goal is to do a Broadway musical that she could star in herself.
The latest update from Parton on her biopic came during an appearance on Mr. Nashville Talks. Parton revealed that beloved Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth is her top choice to play her in any sort of biopic project. Check out to see what Parton said on the talk show:
"We were talking about doing my Broadway musical, and we were really, really far out ahead of that. Then COVID hit and that changed my mind about a whole lot of things... 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. I love Kristin Chenoweth. She's just absolutely fantastic. We'd probably have to have a little Dolly, a middle Dolly and then the older one."
Chenoweth is a powerhouse in her own right, proving her talents translate seamlessly across mediums. From her Tony award-winning performance in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown to her nabbing an Emmy for Pushing Daisies to most recently flaunting all her skills in the musical series Schmigadoon, Chenoweth certainly has the chops to play Dolly Parton on stage or screen. In addition to proclaiming Chenoweth as her top pick, Parton has also said that she could play the oldest version of herself. That just leaves "little Dolly" open, although the previously mentioned Lind could throw her hat in the ring depending on what age casting seeks.
If the stars align on the production end, it's incredibly likely that Chenoweth will play Parton in some shape or form. The fellow Southern star has named Parton as a huge influence over her and openly responded to the idea with a public yes. Parton even graced Chenoweth's album For the Girls, with the duo singing "I Will Always Love You." The whole notion sounds like entertainment gold, so hopefully it happens soon.
Source: Mr. Nashville Talks