An old clip of Julia Roberts talking about Dolly Parton has resurfaced online, with the Pretty Woman star discussing the late country music legend’s advice about complaining.
The country legend died aged 80 on August 25 following a “brief battle with cancer“. Her family added that she was “surrounded by loved ones” when she passed away.
Parton gave an update on her health to fans last week, sharing that she was dealing with issues she had neglected while caring for her husband of 58 years Carl Dean before his death last year. Parton was also forced to cancel an upcoming Vegas residency in May due to health reasons, having initially postponed the run of shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in October 2025.
Numerous tributes have been shared by those who worked with her, as well as fans, and a new clip from the late ’80s has been shared online with Julia Roberts discussing Dolly Parton’s advice about complaining. The pair worked together on the 1989 drama Steel Magnolias, for which Roberts earned her first Oscar nomination.
The clip in question features Roberts, Parton, and co-star Shirley MacLaine together on The Oprah Winfrey Show promoting the movie. In it, Roberts recalls the intense heat during production, and noticing that Parton was the only member of the cast who wasn’t complaining.
“Everyone had ice on their wrist and was doing the whole thing, everyone was like, ‘It’s hot, can I get some water?’ And I finally just had to say, ‘Dolly, I mean, you’ve got a wig and the wool. Come on, it’s hot, sweat a little, you know? Just say ‘I’m hot,’ you know. ‘This is a drag!’” She recalled.
“And she said — I remember we were sitting on the porch, do you remember this? And she said to me, ‘When I was a little girl, I wanted to be famous and I wanted to be rich, and now I’m both those things. I’m not going to complain about it.’” The future Oscar winner concluded: “I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to be quiet for the rest of the day.’”
Talking about the impact it had on her, Roberts recalled: “It was the way she said it, and I didn’t really do it her way, or else it’ll choke me up, but it was this thing and I’ve never forgotten it. And every time I go to complain or just kind of moan, I always hear Dolly sitting on the porch and saying that, and it kind of keeps you quiet.”
In the days since Parton’s death, numerous musicians and bands have covered some of Parton’s songs in honour of the late icon. Jack White paid tribute to Parton with a rousing rendition of ‘Jolene’, while The King’s Guard performed ‘9 To 5’ at Buckingham Palace.
Orville Peck also gave his own touching version of ‘I Will Always Love You’, while Harry Styles kicked off his 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden by playing the same song over the speakers before his show commenced.
Meanwhile, written tributes have also poured in for the singer from the music world and beyond. Elton John, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Eminem and Miley Cyrus (Parton’s goddaughter) are among the major artists to have shared messages. Streams of Parton’s hits have also soared by more than 2,000 per cent.
In an NME obituary for Parton, we wrote: “As we all reel from Dolly Parton’s death, that glorious 2014 Glastonbury set may prove a balm. Introducing ‘Coat Of Many Colors’, her 1971 country hit about a patchwork coat sewn by her mother, this humble ‘farmer’s daughter’ paid tribute to her family’s love and resilience. Resplendent in her rhinestone suit, she embodied both qualities as a unifying icon. The world has become more divided since that set, but everyone will always love Dolly.”
