Jennifer Nettles Joins the Dolly Parton Biopic 'Coat of Many Colors'
Country legend Dolly Parton just gained three new (fictional) relatives. Jennifer Nettles, Gerald McRaney, and Ricky Schroeder have joined the cast of NBC’s upcoming TV movie, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, which depicts Parton’s ‘50s-era childhood in Tennessee’s famed Great Smoky Mountains. A Grammy-winning country artist herself, Nettles will play young Dolly’s mother, Avie, while Schroeder portrays Parton family patriarch, Lee. The two preside over a family of 12 children, working hard to make ends meet in a depressed rural area. McRaney, meanwhile, has been cast as Parton’s grandfather, Jake Owens, a preacher as well as a songwriter. (He penned the song “Book of Life,” which Parton originally recorded for her 1971 album, Golden Streets of Glory.)
Onscreen, Nettles, Schroder, and McRaney will be imparting wisdom and life lessons to Alyvia Lind, the young actress who landed the role of 9-year-old Dolly. Lind memorably found out that she’d won the part when the real Dolly stopped by to give her the good news in a clip that quickly went viral. Just imagine how excited she’ll be when she learns that Major Dad is going to be her grandpa.
Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors will premiere during the 2015-16 TV season on NBC.
