Jane Fonda became emotional as she remembered her longtime friend and 9 to 5 co-star Dolly Parton on the day of the country music icon’s funeral. The Oscar winner also fondly recalled spending 10 days with Parton aboard her tour bus.
Jane Fonda revealed what really happened during their 10-day road trip through the deep hollows of Tennessee
During an interview with Democracy Now, Fonda said that the music icon, who died on August 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, “meant love.” “She really did. She loved everyone,” the 88-year-old added.
Sharing one of the memories, Fonda reflected on the 10 days she spent with Parton aboard a tour bus. She recalled touring Appalachia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas with Parton as she prepared to play a hillbilly character. Since Parton was the only hillbilly she knew, the Queen of Country helped her find someone she could use as inspiration for the role.
Fonda said, “I was in deep hollows of Tennessee and Arkansas, where people lived in tarp paper shacks with no electricity or running water, and she would come in in her full regalia — I never saw her without full regalia. And they loved her so much that they accepted my presence, and it was so clear that she absolutely respected them. That was why there was so much love. She never played down.”
Fonda and Parton’s friendship began in the late 1970s when they started working together on the 1980 comedy 9 to 5. Fonda was the driving force behind the film and quickly saw Parton as the right choice for the cast after hearing one of her songs on the radio. Parton also accepted the role, but had one request. She wanted to write the film’s title track herself. 9 to 5 later earned two Grammy Awards and a People’s Choice Award. The film grossed more than $103 million at the box office and became a major hit. It also marked Parton’s feature-film debut.
