Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Dolly Parton was up for the role of witch Selena in the 1984 film Supergirl.
The country music icon, who died following a “brief battle with cancer” on August 25 aged 80, was considering playing the part in the DC superhero movie, which starred Helen Slater, now 62, as the titular character – Superman’s cousin.
But Parton ultimately turned down the role, later revealing that she had been offered $7 million but did not want to play “evil” Selena, which Faye Dunaway, now 85, went on to land.
In a resurfaced 1982 interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Jolene singer said: “They’re doing a show now called Supergirl.
“They’re going to do a continuation. They’ve got an 18-year-old girl that’s going to be Supergirl, and there’s a part of, a starring role of, a witch. I guess the force kind of against the Superman, but she’s funny, and she’s magical, and she’s all this and that. And I might do it.”
But the filming location for Supergirl proved a challenge for Parton.
She explained: “I might play a witch, and if I do, I’ll have to go to London for three months. So it depends on if I want to leave home that much. If I want to be a witch that bad. I think going from a secretary to a madame to a witch wouldn’t be bad.”
Parton felt “insulted” when she was asked to play witch Selena.
The 9 to 5 hitmaker told the Chicago Tribune: “I will not play just an evil part. In fact, I got offered $7 million several years ago to play the part that Faye Dunaway played in Supergirl. I was kind of insulted.
“I was impressed with the money, but I said, ‘Why are you asking me to play an evil witch? Do I come across as an evil witch to you?'”
Parton was keen to avoid people labelling her as a “goody-goody”, adding: “I’m sure I can be an evil witch at times. But that’s not my real nature, and I don’t have a desire to do anything like that.”
The 13-time Grammy winner explained she chose roles that reflected aspects of her own personality, admitting she did not think of herself as “great enough of an actress to do anything totally separate from me”.
Parton added: “And I think I have to play something where I have a Southern accent — either that or I’d have to be a mute.”
The star also noted she was an “entertainer more than … an actress”, and wanted “to make people feel good”.
Parton’s film credits included 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, as well as Steel Magnolias.
