Dolly Parton Talks ‘Movie About a Whore’ ‘Jolene’
After the success of last week’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, Dolly Parton is looking ahead to her next movie for NBC. This time, her woman-warning anthem “Jolene” will serve as the inspiration. Parton admits the subject matter may be a little more mature than Coat of Many Colors and its holiday sequel, but she says she owes it to the “extreme” character to keep the story authentic.
“I can’t worry about what people think. I’m not pretending to be anything. I’m a sinner, I’m a saint, I’m a seeker, I’m like most people out there,” Parton says. “I can’t limit myself as a writer to worry about people saying, ‘Oh, I thought she was so much better than that and now she’s done this movie about a whore.'”
Parton says the character will live up to her homewrecker status. “I can’t hold back on who Jolene is,” she says.
Released in 1973, “Jolene” has become one of Parton’s most famous songs. The story of a woman who tries to steal the narrator’s man, it was written solely by Parton and continues to be a highlight of her live appearances. A performance of “Jolene” with vocal group Pentatonix scored Parton a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the upcoming 59th Grammy Awards.
Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love will be released on DVD on December 20th, 2016.