Sandra Bullock and the extraordinary task of having to “straddle Dolly Parton”
Being an actor often involves doing unusual things in the name of art. Some might hurl themselves out of moving planes or learn a bizarre new skill for a role, while others—well, they find themselves on top of a world-famous popstar with dozens of people watching.
Though she’s best known for her emotional country ballads and having hair that defies the laws of physics, Dolly Parton is no stranger to the big screen. Her film debut came in the cult classic musical 9 to 5, which then led to roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone, and Steel Magnolias. She’s shared top billing with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, and Julia Roberts, but one co-star has admitted that working with Dolly left quite an impression on her.
In 2005, Sandra Bullock reprised her role as Gracie Hart, an FBI agent turned pageant queen, in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. One scene involved Gracie chasing down who she thought was a Dolly Parton impersonator, only to find out it was the real deal after she’d tackled her to the ground. We’ve all been there, right? Bullock gave an interview to the BBC where she spoke about this scene, and it turns out that the ‘I Will Always Love You’ singer was an incredibly good sport.
“It was extraordinary to straddle Dolly Parton,” said Bullock. “I was literally lying on top of her,” she added, confessing that she didn’t initially feel comfortable mounting the Tennessee legend. Her mood changed when Dolly apparently told her, “We’re going to put the Madonna-Britney kiss to shame!” referencing the famous moment from the 2003 VMAs. This seemed to ease Bullock’s nerves, and it definitely made her a fan of Parton. “I thought ‘Wow, you rock. You just rock!'” she said before praising the singer for being “everything you’d want her to be and more”.
The second Miss Congeniality was a big risk for Bullock, as the last sequel she’d appeared in, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was a total flop. The star was well aware of this and was keen to avoid it happening again. “We said if this film could stand on its own as if the first one hadn’t been made, then it was something that would be exciting to do,” she said. Sadly, this philosophy proved to be flawed, as Armed and Fabulous was torn to pieces by critics. It did return $101million on a $45m budget, but this was still less than half what the first one made.
As for Dolly, she’s continued to appear sporadically in movies, including voicing a gnome version of herself in 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet. In 2019, Netflix produced Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, a collection of films exploring the inspiration behind several of her most famous songs. These included ‘Jolene’, ‘Two Doors Down’, and ‘Down from Dover’, and featured names like Julianne Hough, Kathleen Turner, and Ginnifer Goodwin, as well as Dolly herself. The episode ‘These Old Bones’ was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for ‘Outstanding Television Movie’.
Whilst she’s never achieved the same levels of success in acting as musicians like Will Smith or Cher, Parton is still a bankable name with a lot of brand recognition. Her appearance in Miss Congeniality 2, albeit brief, is one of the highlights of the movie, and it’s nice to know the people on set were just as pleased with her performance, even if critics were less than thrilled with the final result.
