How Dolly Parton handled a director who ‘didn’t particularly like me’
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Dolly Parton revealed in her autobiography that she initially clashed with Steel Magnolias director Herbert Ross, who criticized her acting and resented working with Julia Roberts.
- Sally Field confirmed in a 2024 interview that Ross was very hard on Roberts, and the cast often supported the young actress during filming.
- Parton used humor to stand up to Ross and eventually made peace with him by the end of the movie shoot.
- Julia Roberts recalled on The Oprah Winfrey Show that Parton taught her an important lesson about gratitude and not complaining despite difficult circumstances on set.
- Since Parton's death on August 25, 2023, aged 80, stories of her kindness and generosity, including those from Steel Magnolias, have been widely shared.
