Dolly Parton slept just 3 hours and did her own hair and makeup, co-star recalls
Danica McKellar told Fox News Digital that Dolly Parton had relentless work ethic, saying the country icon often slept only three to five hours a night, did her own hair, wig and makeup, then arrived ready to work.
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Dolly Parton’s former co-star, Danica McKellar, is sharing who the country music legend really was when the cameras weren’t rolling.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, McKellar said that Parton told her that she would only sleep three to five hours a night and then wake up and do her own hair and make-up.
“She told me she only slept three to five hours a night. She was always dreaming stuff up and just busy. She’d sleep on her big travel bus, if she was traveling and doing things, and wake up early in the morning… She did her own hair and makeup, her own wig and her own makeup. And she’d get to work,” McKellar said.
Danica McKellar worked with Dolly Parton on “Christmas at Dollywood.”
McKellar’s professional relationship with Parton began through Parton’s Imagination Library, which included McKellar’s children’s book, “Goodnight, Numbers,” in its literacy program.
DOLLY PARTON’S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITY
McKellar later narrated the documentary “The Library That Dolly Built” before pitching the idea for the 2019 Hallmark movie “Christmas at Dollywood,” in which she starred opposite Parton.
Danica McKellar and Dolly Parton appear in “Christmas at Dollywood,” which aired Dec. 8, 2019.(©Hallmark Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection)
While working with Parton, McKellar told Fox News Digital that the “9 to 5” singer was “everything that you hope she could possibly be and much more.”
“She’s incredible, great work ethic. She wanted to rehearse a lot and I was like, ‘I would love to rehearse with you.’ I’d love to just be in her presence. She was incredible. She walked on the set and made everyone feel comfortable because people were so nervous to meet Dolly Parton.”
“And she just walked on this set and said, ‘Merry Christmas everybody.’ Like to the whole room and everyone just was charmed, like that was it,” she said.
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Dolly Parton appears in “Christmas at Dollywood,” which aired Dec. 8, 2019.(©Hallmark Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection)
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Parton died Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80 after what her team described as a brief battle with cancer. The country music icon died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville surrounded by loved ones.
McKellar credited Dolly Parton for reminding her how important it is to treat other people with kindness.(Michael Tullberg/
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McKellar believes Parton would want her legacy to remind people to treat one another with kindness.
Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80.(ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content
“Because she knew how to make everybody feel good about themselves,” McKellar said. “That’s what she taught me the most. And what I think is her message for the world, treat each other kindly. You have a choice. You have so much power, more power than you realize.”
