Dolly Parton has had a great career for decades. She has done so much - singing, songwriting, acting, you name it. And she has done it all very well. At 79, she is still going strong and being amazingly successful. In fact, she just released a new book about herself, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage. What is Parton's outlook that guides her professional choices? Per People, she shared that she has a similarly bold approach to that of Miley Cyrus, 32, her goddaughter.
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"Just like Miley [Cyrus], my goddaughter, I love her. She's always trying new things. Some of them work great, some of them don't, but she's learned a lot. If you don't have the nerve to try it, you're never going to know. That's kind of like my philosophy."
Parton has shown time and again that she embraces new frontiers. She opted for a solo path after being prominently associated with country music star Porter Wagoner on his TV show. Then Parton tried acting. She co-starred with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in the comedy 9 to 5 and was a smash.
Parton Embraces Change and Challenges
Per the outlet, Parton says she stays flexible and open to the new. "You have to grow into things, and you have to grow out of things; that's how I handled my career. I needed to try things. A lot of people think because you're a girl, you don't always know what you're doing. I don't care about what other people are doing. I only care about what I need to be doing."
She's Also True to Herself and Her Instincts
Parton added, "I don't try to tell other people how to do it, how to be, but I know who I am. I'm a star to everybody but me. I'm just a working girl. I always just say that I'm a workhorse that looks like a show horse."
Cyrus Admires Parton
Cyrus clearly looks up to Parton. Per the outlet via CR Fashion Book, she said this. "During the [2025 Los Angeles] fires, when there was so much devastation and grief, in those moments I always thought of Dolly Parton. Through her music and her gift for making people happy, she's always been medicinal in those times. She always tells me that moments of trauma aren't times to shut down or give up as entertainers. It's our duty — one of the reasons we chose this calling — to be a source of joy and inspiration during moments of trouble."
