When filming the first of NBC's Dolly Parton bio-pics, then 10-year-old Farrah Mackenzie was placed in a unique position in that the real Stella Parton, who she was playing in the film, was there on-set as a fellow actress and character consultant. Farrah took every advantage of having Stella around and even became a leftie for her role. She received rave reviews from her real-life counterpart after playing Dolly's younger sister in "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors." Stella said,
"I think that Farrah Mackenzie plays the best Little Stella that anybody could play. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to play me."
Farrah will return as Stella Parton in the all-new NBC film, “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.” Since the airing of the first film, Farrah has continued to grow as an actress and was overjoyed to return to her role as Stella Parton. This cross-fit enthusiast has generously agreed to share her thoughts on the new movie, the influential people in her life, her Christmas wish and more.
See more cast interviews and tune in Wednesday, November 30 at 9/8c on NBC to watch Farrah Mackenzie as Stella Parton in “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.”
The stars of Dolly's new NBC movie talk about the new film, share their Christmas wishes for the holiday season and much more.
"Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love" will air on NBC on Nov. 30 in a special two-hour movie event. The cast of the all new holiday film is excited about the sequel to last year's record-breaking hit. They've generously taken time out of their busy post-production schedules to share their thoughts on the new movie, what it was like to reunite with their co-stars and even shared their special Christmas wishes.
Watch interviews with the stars of "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love" including:
Dolly's sister, Stella Parton, is the sixth child born to Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton. An accomplished singer, songwriter and actress, Stella landed her own role in the film. She plays Corla Bass, the town gossip. In addition to her on-screen role, Stella also acted as the on-set Parton family representative, providing the actors with valuable insight into their characters. Many cast members were touched by the way in which Stella's presence provided a real-life look at this treasured story.
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Q. Many of the cast members have mentioned how special the shoot was because you were there. What are your thoughts on that?
A. Well, I tried to be a representative of the family, since I was the only family member there, and since I was the only one who would know everyone in the cast. I tried to give the kids and the cast some insight into my siblings, parents, grandparents and aunts. I wanted them to have as much of a personal feeling about [their character] as they could, so they’d have intimacy with the characters they were portraying.
Q. Could you share with us a little insight about your role in the upcoming film?
A. This was kind of a unique situation for me because I’m portrayed in the film as a six-year-old. Farrah Mackenzie did a beautiful job, she’s so tender and so sweet and so feminine. For me to get to audition and to get a role, a dramatic role as the church gossip, I thought that was kind of fun too. I kind of took my character from three different people I knew as a kid.
Q. The Parton family is known for their tight-knit bonds. While filming, did the cast develop similar family-like relationships?
A. I think they did, yes, especially Bobby and Stella. I thought they had a real tight-knit bond. As the weeks wore on, I saw all the children kind of bond as if they were siblings. That was very sweet and tender to me. I was glad I could observe that and hopefully contributed a little bit to that by just being able to give them insight into our personalities.
Q. The song "Coat of Many Colors" first debuted in 1971, yet it still has a powerful message for people today. Why do you think people relate so well to this story?
A. I think everybody has empathy for an underdog. I think that everyone wants to see triumph over tragedy. I think each life, in its own way, has had a tragic thread in it; but each life, I believe, has a triumphant thread in it. "Coat of Many Colors" is an example of that, a supreme example of that, and I also think Dolly's gift as a songwriter is able to interweave that throughout the thread of the story.
Q. What was your favorite moment or take away from the movie?
A. There were so many, but I think as much as anything, just watching the children interact in the living room with my parents. Those were some of the most tender parts of the film for me.
Stella's closing remarks on the significance of worship in the film.
A. It was very, very important to me that everyone see the film and the honest, sincere form of worship that I grew up with. 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.
See more cast interviews and tune in Thursday, December 10 at 9/8c on NBC to watch Stella Parton as Corla Bass in "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors."
Farrah raved about the fun, off-set activities planned for the stars. However, on-set her professionalism shined.
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Q. As you started to develop your character, what things about Stella Parton stood out or perhaps surprised you?
A. I didn’t really develop until after I met Stella, but I still developed. It's really nice to get stories from actual Partons. So, this one day I was in a scene, I was just doodling in my school book with my right hand, and the day after that the actual Stella, she told my dad that she's actually left-handed. So in the school scene, I started writing with my left hand. It wasn’t that nice, but I still accomplished it.
Q. The Parton family is known for their tight-knit bonds. While filming, did the cast develop similar family-like relationships?
A. Oh, yeah yeah yeah we did! We did so much! First day I got a very warm welcoming from all my cast members. We actually did PE outside. We ran around with all the characters like [Alyvia] who played Dolly and all the other great people. We actually did CrossFit; me and Hannah [Nordberg]. Hannah played Judy.
[Carson Meyer] taught me how to crochet and I do that a lot now. We always go in the pool, we never did a day without pool. When the whole cast was in the pool we had water gun fights. And sometimes I did fight with Blane, [Crockarell] who played Bobby, but we got over it. We had movie night every other night, and that was really fun. We went on dinners a lot, and I had a lot of sleepovers with the cast. We went on field trips such as Stone Mountain, we went to World of Coke, it was really fun. I also went to a CrossFit gym with Hannah, so that was really fun. We made a really tight bond.
Q. Considering everything you have done in your career, where does this role rank in your list of achievements?
A. Well, I’d probably say number two. "Nanny Cam," a movie that I did that’s on Amazon and Lifetime, I had a slightly bigger role in that. But this movie could also become number one, because it is on NBC. It’s a Christmas movie, and it could also be playing every year for the rest of my life. And it’s also Dolly Parton!
Q. The song "Coat of Many Colors" first debuted in 1971, yet it still has a powerful message for people today. Why do you think people relate so well to this story?
A. Well, the song really tells that you can be rich in many ways, such as love and generosity and that just tells people a lot of things. So you don’t just need to be rich in money, you can be rich in many ways.
Q. Other than "Coat of Many Colors" do you have a favorite Dolly song?
A. My favorite Dolly song is "9 to 5" definitely. I really relate to that song, because every morning I wake up and yawn and stretch and try as hard as I can to get alive. [Singing] I wake up stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition, yawn and stretch and try as hard as I can to get alive!
Q. What was your favorite moment of making the film or your favorite takeaway?
A. I have so many. First of all, meeting the person I play, Stella; Carson and Hannah teaching me how to crochet; movie nights, seriously those were really fun. I liked doing CrossFit and PE with all of my friends. And in the makeup and hair trailer, I really loved getting those bouncy curls in my hair but, of course, they fell out in the humidity.
See more cast interviews and tune in Thursday, December 10 at 9/8c on NBC to watch Farrah Mackenzie as Stella Parton in "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors."
This December, Dolly Parton’s childhood memory that inspired a country music hit and later became a children's book, will premiere as the NBC movie, "Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors." The stars of Dolly's new movie shared stories of how they bonded, much like the real Parton family, over movie nights, pool parties and field trips. To hear them talk about the experience, one might wonder how they managed to get the movie made. However, they did, and their excitement about the finished product is contagious.
Step behind the scenes as Ricky shares a touching note from Dolly, Farrah reveals her favorite Dolly song and see why playing "Little Dolly" is a career highlight for Alyvia Alyn.
Discover more about Dolly's new movie from the stars themselves. See full interviews and MORE!
Tune in December 10, at 9 p.m. EST to watch "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" airing on NBC.
CREDITS
Starring
Alyvia Alyn Lind, Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder, Gerald McRaney
Executive Producers
Dolly Parton, Sam Haskell, Pamela K. Long
Written By
Pamela K. Long
Director
Stephen Herek
Line Producer
Hudson Hickman
Casting Director
Patrick Rush
Produced By
Warner Bros. Television, Magnolia Hill Entertainment, DP Productions
