The reason Dolly Parton called Sylvestor Stallone an “ungrateful son of a bitch!”
A role in 1984’s Rhinestone might have scored Dolly Parton two Top 10 country hits, but her appearance in the musical comedy film alongside Sylvester Stallone didn’t save it from commercial failure. While it was universally panned, Parton’s time on set was enjoyable, and she and Stallone became great friends.
That being said, there was a brief moment they weren’t. While shooting an alleyway scene through a cold night, Parton and Stallone were warmed by heaters and blankets on set, but Parton noticed a man shivering next to some bins, instantly grabbing one of her shawls to wrap around him.
In her autobiography, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, she recalled Stallone stopping her. “Just as I wrapped the shawl around the man, Stallone walked up and jerked it away,” she wrote. “‘Don’t you put that good shawl over that scum!’ he said. ‘He could have made something of himself. We did.'”
Parton, famed for her Southern pragmatism and work ethic, took Stallone to task for it. After grabbing the shawl back, she stood nose to nose with him, saying: “That could have been you, you ungrateful son of a bitch! Except by the grace of God. Who knows, it could be an angel sent to show you what you really are.”
Stallone was said to have rectified things the next day, and a crew member let Parton know he’d bought the man a blanket by way of an apology. Stallone, who already had great chemistry with Parton, seemed to respect her more for her no-nonsense approach.
The actor described her as an “incredible woman” in a Q&A with Ain’t It Cool News, when he recalled another time she’d given him sage advice. “I remember in the early ’80s when I was sitting in a hotel room feeling sorry for myself, actors do that a lot, it’s actually considered a sport in Hollywood, self-loathing,” he said. “Anyway, [she] called, and we began a conversation that lasted at least two hours, and by the time I hung up, I thought she was the most amazing person I’d ever spoken to.”
Parton forgave his misstep on set, and echoed his sentiments in her book. Writing that no matter how big a financial disaster Rhinestone was, it was not all bad for her. “Sylvester Stallone made me laugh at a time when I really needed it. I have found no therapy more effective than laughing, although in this case, there were probably less expensive ways to get it,” she joked.
“Movies may come and go, but life is something we buy a ticket to every day, and it doesn’t come with popcorn,” she wrote. “To me, Stallone was better than popcorn. He was full of life and very healthy for me to be around.”
