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Dolly Parton was once open to the idea of appearing in Jennifer Aniston's remake of 9 to 5 but later explained why she ultimately chose not to take part.
The late country superstar famously made her Hollywood screen debut in the 1980 workplace comedy, starring alongside Jane Fonda, 88, and Lily Tomlin, 86.
Nearly a decade ago, it was revealed that Aniston was working on producing a remake of the cult classic film with writer Diablo Cody.
Parton, who died at the age of 80 on Tuesday following a brief cancer battle, previously expressed her excitement over the making of the reboot in 2024.
'I'm hoping they use my song, and I'm hoping they might find a way to have Lily, Jane and me come back in,' the star said, before changing her mind shortly afterwards.
The singer later explained that she and her co-stars, Fonda and Tomlin, were hesitant to make cameos in the remake due to their age.
'I think a lot of it is that, you know, we're all older now. We're not gonna look that good on the big screen. All of us up there with all those beautiful, young, fresh people... So I don't know,' she said in an interview with HuffPost published last summer.
Dolly Parton was once open to the idea of appearing in Jennifer Aniston's remake of 9 to 5 but later explained why she backed out of the idea; pictured in December 2018
In the classic comedy, Parton, Fonda and Tomlin starred as three office workers taking drastic measures to deal with their sexist boss, who was portrayed by the late Dabney Coleman
She also said she 'had no plans to be in' Aniston's reimagining.
In the classic comedy, Parton, Fonda and Tomlin starred as three office workers taking drastic measures to deal with their sexist boss, who was portrayed by the late Dabney Coleman.
In addition to starring in the film, Parton wrote her song 9 to 5 for the movie's soundtrack, which ultimately earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in 1981.
In May of 2025, Parton recalled how she and her co-stars previously wanted to make a sequel but said it 'never happened.'
'Jane, Lily and I have been trying for years to try to come up with a 9 to 5: Two through the years.'
When asked about being in the remake, she said Aniston wanted the iconic trio 'to be involved in it somehow.'
Parton added that she, Fonda and Tomlin, however, 'have no plans to be in that.'
'But I love Jennifer. I think it'll be a wonderful thing,' Parton continued as she hinted at how far along the project was at the time.
'I do wish her the best, because the script I read, I thought, was really good and a new and different take that really brings the office up to date the way that people live now.'
Parton said she was in consensus with Fonda, 88, and Tomlin, 86, when she explained that their hesitation to make cameos in the remake was due to their age. 'We're all older now. We're not gonna look that good on the big screen'; The trio pictured in March 2006
Parton, who died at the age of 80 on Tuesday, famously made her Hollywood screen debut in the 1980 workplace comedy; pictured in December 1996
She previously expressed her excitement over the making of the reboot in 2024 but changed her mind in 2025; pictured in 2014
When asked about being in the remake last summer, she said Aniston wanted the iconic trio 'to be involved in it somehow.' Parton added that she, Fonda and Tomlin, however, 'have no plans to be in that'; Aniston pictured in June
Fonda and Tomlin also previously discussed how there had been a 9 to 5 sequel that nearly made it to production at one point.
'We had one official crack at the script,' she told People in May 2024. 'The draft just didn't work for us. We couldn't really see the work world today [in the pages]. People work from home. They take gig work. They don't even know their boss. They're at home!'
And in response to Aniston's remake, Tomlin said: 'It's going to be tough to make it happen. My sympathies are with Jennifer and her writer Diablo, who is a good writer.'
Also in June 2024, Fonda, who played Judy Bernly in the film, told Entertainment Tonight that she wished the team behind the remake 'good luck.'
'It's fun. I wish them a lot of luck. They're very talented,' the two-time Oscar winner said as she seemingly hinted at not wanting to appear in the remake.
The Jolene hitmaker, who once joked that her husband Carl Dean wanted to have a 'threesome' with Aniston, also recalled having a chat with the Friends star about possibly getting involved in the remake as far back as 2018.
The Jolene hitmaker previously recalled having a chat with the Friends star about possibly getting involved in the remake as far back as 2018. She also suggested her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, play her part
While reflecting on the success of 9 to 5, Parton said it's 'a wonderful thing to be able to be part of something that's been that powerful through the years' and 'it's really amazing to be part of something that really can change the course of life for anybody'
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'Years ago, when we did the movie Dumplin', there was some mention she might want to do 9 to 5, and I said, "Oh, that would be great,"' Parton said, referencing the time they crossed paths professionally.
While the 10-time Grammy winner did not appear in the film Dumplin', which starred Aniston and Danielle Macdonald, Parton allowed the film to use her existing music, and created a new track with Sia for the movie.
During that time, Parton suggested that her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, take on her role as Doralee Rhodes.
'Wouldn't she be great? Well, she knows me. She knows the memories that I have [from the movie],' the singer said.
While reflecting on the success of 9 to 5, Parton said it's 'a wonderful thing to be able to be part of something that's been that powerful through the years.
'It's really amazing to be part of something that really can change the course of life for anybody. I really think this brought a lot of attention to [gender] equality,' she added.
English (US) ·