'Christmas of Many Colors' cast charms at Dollywood red carpet premiere
Sevierville native and country music icon Dolly Parton and other cast members of her and NBC's film “Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love” delighted fans at Dollywood’s red carpet premiere of the film Tuesday evening.
Dollywood opened from 2-9 p.m. Tuesday for the screening. During the event, crowds of Dollywood guests, some dressed as Parton, packed around the red carpet, which stretched 300 feet through the park starting at the preferred parking area to the Showstreet Palace Theater, where the movie was screened.
"Christmas of Many Colors" is a sequel to 2015's "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" and will air at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, on NBC.
Several cast members strolled down the red carpet and posed for photos, including Alyvia Alyn Lind (young Dolly Parton), Jennifer Nettles (Avie Lee Parton), Ricky Schroder (Robert Lee Parton) and Hannah Nordberg (Judy Ogle).
"This is so much fun to be back (at Dollywood) and having the premiere here, it's just awesome," Lind said while on the red carpet.
Lind talked about reprising her role as young Parton in the sequel and how that role has changed.
“Well I think in this movie, I think Dolly is starting to pursue her music career a little bit more in this movie, and we meet a new character in this movie, Uncle Billy (played by Cameron Jones), and he’s going to help her get to the top because she wants to be a star so bad, and he wants to help her get there. He knows that she is a star.”
Nordberg plays Judy Ogle, who is one of Parton's best friends in the film and in real life. She said that while her and Lind didn't know each other before they starred together in the films, they have bonded and become close friends.
"Judy and Dolly are always together, and it's really cool that they are still best friends, you know, 60 years later, and Aly (Lind) and I, who plays little Dolly, we're really like best friends, like sisters in real life too ... we've bonded so much we're like siblings."
Parton joined the cast in "Christmas of Many Colors" and played the Painted Lady, the town prostitute she modeled her style after while growing up in East Tennessee.
“Getting to do a few scenes with Dolly, that was so awesome because she is such an amazing actress," Lind said. "She adds her little Dollyisms to the scene and makes it just so much more real. And working with her is just so fun.”
Before the film was screened, Parton spoke to the audience inside the theater and thanked everyone for coming.
"I just wanted to say how happy I am that you all are here," Parton said.
"I hope that you're going to love (the movie). Of course, I'm so happy to be a part of the Dollywood family, the Herschend family and all of the folks that we love in and around here, and thanks to Craig (Ross) our great guy that runs Dollywood here, and who is so wonderful to my people."
Family and friends of the cast also walked down the red carpet and attended the screening of the film. Some of them included Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Romijn and their children, the "Liberal Redneck" Trae Crowder and others. A reception followed the screening.
Some Dollywood guests traveled from Kentucky and Georgia to see the premiere and come to Dollywood.
Madlin Adkins, 4, of Corbin, Ky., dressed in her own coat of many colors at the premiere. Her mom, Brooke Adkins, said Madlin has been a fan of Parton's since the she saw "Coat of Many Colors" last year and dressed as Parton for Halloween.
The Powell family from Thomasville, Ga., traveled to Pigeon Forge on Sunday to stay at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort. They arrived at Dollywood at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in order to snag a good spot to see the red carpet premiere.
"I just like (Dolly Parton)," Sally Powell said.
"She was probably about 3 years old (when she became a fan of Parton)," Tammy Powell said. "And she would just sing. Anytime Dolly would come on NBC news or anything. She would just be glued to the TV (and) screaming."