She had some choice words to say about her former co-star.
In 1982, Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds starred in the hit movie “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” It was widely believed that they were dating because of how well they clicked on the film.
“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” film adapts the 1978 Broadway musical of the same name. Parton and Reynolds played a madam and a sheriff who had an affair. Despite rumors of a real-life romance, the actress has always maintained that they were like siblings, just like describing their relationship as “like brother and sister” in a 2018 interview with Mirror UK after Reynolds passed away.
“Burt and I were a good ol’ boy and girl, and I was very sad when he passed away,” she remarked. “We were really very much alike… Burt and I had our little arguments and little spats. But we were so honest with each other. We held no secrets from each other; we couldn’t fool each other.”
And with that, the “Jolene” singer joked, “I couldn’t wait to jump into bed with Burt Reynolds,” later clarifying, “In the movie, not in real life.”
However, Parton was not kind to her former co-star in an interview she gave in 1983 with host Terry Wogan, who had some choice of words to describe Reynolds.
Wogan asked, “Would you make another movie with Burt Reynolds, or couldn’t you stand the sight of him?” in which Parton insulted Reynolds first before she immediately said a nice thing about him to get even with her insult.
“Aw, that old, dreadful, unsexy thing?” she said as a joke, adding, “Actually, he’s really a wonderful person, and he takes his work very seriously.”
She also compared her time working with Reynolds to her time acting with Jane Fonda in the film “9 to 5.” Parton said that while she enjoyed working with Fonda, she did not dream about her as she did about Reynolds.
Parton’s comment about Reynolds being an “old, dreadful, unsexy thing” should be taken in good humor, not insulting. The two actors got along well and collaborated to create a hit film. Actors don’t always take themselves too seriously and may have fun with their coworkers, as seen by Parton’s lighthearted comment.