3. Dolly’s Sister Was The Official Parton Representative On Set
Dolly served as one of the film’s executive producers, but wasn’t always able to be on the set. That’s where her younger sister, Stella, came in.
You likely knew that Stella played the town gossip/shopkeeper Corla Bass in the film. But you probably had no idea that Stella’s role was far greater than that. As the only Parton on the set most of the time, she served as an official representative of the family.
Stella’s role was to make sure that her family, and particularly their faith, was portrayed accurately throughout filming. “It was very, very important to me that everyone see the film and the honest, sincere form of worship that I grew up with,” she said in an interview about her character for dollyparton.com. “I wanted all the actors to also see that. They all got into it in a very sincere way. I loved it, and I thought it was very, very special. I believe people will see it as a high point in the film.“
People certainly did see it as a high point in the film, all thanks to Stella!
