Sandra Bullock is looking back on a sweet memory of Dolly Parton that perfectly captures the country legend’s warmth, humor and humble nature. The Practical Magic 2 star, 62, told People that her favorite memory of Dolly, who died at 80 on Tuesday, August 25, came while they were making the 2005 comedy Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.
It involved two tour buses, a lavish hotel room that went unused, and an unexpected sleepover in Las Vegas.
Sandra Bullock Remembers Dolly Parton’s Tour Bus Arrival: Why The Country Legend Chose Her Bus Over a Hotel Suite
Because of her intense fear of flying, Bullock traveled between filming locations for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous by tour bus. When production moved to Las Vegas, Parton arrived in her own bus and parked beside Bullock’s. Bullock recalled the bus was pink, a fitting choice for the 9 to 5 singer. The studio booked a massive hotel suite for Parton, but the country icon preferred the familiar surroundings of her bus.
Bullock asked where Parton planned to have her hair and makeup done before their scene. “Oh, I’ll do it on the bus,” Parton replied, Bullock recalled. The Jolene singer also planned to sleep there instead of checking into the hotel. Bullock immediately followed her lead.
“Then I’m sleeping on the bus,” she recalled saying. “So she and I slept side-by-side on the bus,” Bullock told People. The two stars finished work, retired to their buses, and ended the night parked beside each other.
Sandra Bullock Recalls Their Memorable Movie Scene
Dolly played herself in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. In one of the sequel’s most memorable scenes, Sandra’s character, FBI agent Gracie Hart, tackles Dolly after mistaking her for a celebrity impersonator.
The physical comedy placed Sandra directly on top of her co-star. Sandra admitted during a 2005 BBC interview that the setup initially made her uncomfortable, but Dolly quickly eased the tension with her playful humor.
Sandra remembered thinking, “Wow, you rock. You just rock!” “Really, she was everything you’d want her to be and more,” Sandra said. Sandra’s story offers another glimpse of the woman behind the global icon. Dolly was warm, funny and entirely herself, whether cameras were rolling or she was settling into a tour bus for the night.
Dolly Parton’s Warmth Made the Memory Last
News of Dolly’s death prompted tributes from friends, relatives and generations of admirers. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced that she had died following a brief battle with cancer.
“Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus,” he said, “surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
GettyHer representatives later told People that she died following a brief battle with cancer. The type of cancer has not been revealed by the family yet. Sandra will next appear in “Practical Magic 2,” which reaches theaters on Friday, September 11.
