A Kristin Chenoweth fan recently took to Twitter, asking the Broadway star about her “dream role.” Chenoweth didn’t have to think very long about her answer — it look less than 10 minutes for the “Wicked” star to respond.
“Dolly Parton.”
Kristin Chenoweth wants to portray Dolly Parton
Chenoweth is currently making a big push to portray Parton in a potential film or musical about the country legend’s life. Her recent activity on Twitter has included retweeting fan support for that idea to come to fruition — and she has Parton’s blessing.
“I love Kristin Chenoweth,” Parton said in a 2020 interview with Marie Claire magazine. “She’s just absolutely fantastic.”
The “Jolene” singer had originally envisioned a Broadway musical about her life, but began reconsidering that idea during the pandemic, CNN recently reported.
“I do intend someday to be on Broadway, but I’m thinking now that I might do my life story as a feature,” she said, according to CNN. “Maybe possibly even a musical feature, so we’re in talks about that.”
This isn’t the first time Chenoweth has pushed for this to happen. Last year, the “Schmigadoon” actress appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and did her best impression of Parton, singing snippets from “Here You Come Again” and “Jolene,” Today reported.
Chenoweth previously collaborated with Parton for her 2019 album “For the Girls,” which features the two doing a duet of Parton’s hit song “I Will Always Love You.”
“When I hear it, I get goosebumps, and I start to cry still,” Chenoweth told NPR. “I was raised on country music and gospel music. There’s something about Dolly that — well, for everybody; not just me — that I have connected with. ... She was so very kind, and I thought if I ever got to sing with her, I’d want to sing that song, but I never thought she’d give it to me. And she said ‘yes.’”
A busy season for Dolly Parton
There isn’t a concrete timeline for a film about Parton, but the singer-songwriter currently has a lot in the works. She’ll appear on the big screen in a film adaptation of “Run, Rose, Run,” the novel she co-wrote with James Patterson, Variety reported.
Parton is also a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee this year. That ceremony will take place on Nov. 5, the Deseret News reported. She’s also starring in an upcoming Taco Bell musical called “Mexican Pizza: The Musical,” which premieres May 26 on TikTok, according to the Deseret News.