The Orville. After rising to the top of the country music scene in the 1960s, Parton set her sights on the television and film world. She first wowed moviegoers with the now-beloved movie 9 to 5 in 1980, and has since made over 400 appearances on screen. The icon defines pop culture, continually churning out new projects.
Hot on the tails of appearing in the Grace & Frankie series finale, Parton made a cameo on Seth MacFarlane's sci-fi series The Orville. Inspired by the original Star Trek series, the show first premiered to a poor reception on Fox in 2017. Following the crew of the titular starship as they navigate through the galaxy and their own relationships onboard, the series eventually gained both audience and critical acclaim. The Orville season 3 premiered on its new home network Hulu in June 2022. Parton's exciting guest appearance came during episode 8 when the crew visits the sanctuary world of Heveena (Rena Owen).
After release, Parton commented on her surprising appearance on The Orville and touched on how production de-aged her. The powerhouse waltzes into the episode titled Midnight Blue with a more youthful glow. Check out what she had to say about the technology and working on the adventure-comedy in her statement below:
"What an honor to be on The Orville with Seth MacFarlane and Rena Owen. I might be as old as yesterday, but with all this new technology they make me look as new as tomorrow! I really hope the fans enjoy it as much as I enjoyed being a part of it. Love, Dolly."
Never one to skip a beat on self-deprecating humor, Parton pokes fun at herself while revealing that the series utilized new technology to make her look younger. The youthful filter used seems to serve the plot, as Parton plays a futuristic programmed version of herself on the show. She bops into a cozy cabin and has a heart-to-heart conversation with Heveena, who is completely stunned to see her. Parton can't help but then perform Try, a song from her album Blue Smoke.
It's certainly not unexpected that The Orville would employ an A-list guest star. The series has previously dazzled with cameos from Bruce Willis, Charlize Theron, and Liam Neeson, to name a few. However, Parton seems like a whole new level of caliber for the show to get. It's especially cool to see the living legend pop into another galaxy on a show like The Orville. Sci-fi and Parton aren't necessarily two entities one would put together, but the moment proves two things. First, that The Orville, which premiered to poor reviews, just keeps getting better and, second, that there's no stopping Parton.
Source: Dolly Parton
