Dolly Parton Gave A 'Charming' Four-Word Warning On Set Of Hallmark's Christmas At Dollywood

The Hallmark Channel's Danica McKellar has spoken out about one funny moment she experienced with the late Dolly Parton. Hollywood has been reacting to Parton's heartbreaking death at 80. McKellar has done the same, reflecting on the time she spent sharing the small screen with the country music icon.

Did you know there is a Hallmark movie set in Dollywood? The 2019 movie "Christmas at Dollywood" stars McKellar, Niall Mater, and of course, Parton. And McKellar remembers exactly what it felt like when Parton arrived on set. "She walked in like a sparkling light of happiness," she told People this week. 

She also looked back on one memory from filming with Parton that she'll never forget. "There was the scene where it was me and Dolly, and ... it was going to be my close-up ... over her shoulder," she explained, adding, "So she was stepping around the camera ... and there were all these cords there." In true Parton fashion, she was donning high stiletto boots. "The [director of photography] says, 'Excuse me, Ms. Parton, I just don't want you to trip over these cables.' And Dolly goes, 'No, you don't, honey,'" McKellar recalled with a laugh, noting, "This was a warning, but the most charming warning you've ever heard."

Evidently, filming "Christmas at Dollywood" alongside Dolly Parton was a special experience for Danica McKellar. Interestingly, though, McKellar's connection to Parton goes beyond Hallmark. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was one of the star's most charitable endeavors of all time. The program mails free children's books to kids up to the age of five. One of those books is "Goodnight Numbers," McKellar's 2017 children's book about math. 

This special connection gave McKellar the idea to pitch "Christmas at Dollywood" to The Hallmark Channel. McKellar told People that she said, "Hey, let's do a movie that lifts the Imagination Library, and maybe Dolly will want to be a part of it." Noting, "Imagination Library was a big part of the movie. And we got to highlight the organization and help spread the word to people."

McKellar was also the narrator for "The Library that Dolly Built," a 2020 documentary about the Imagination Library. "I was thrilled that Danica agreed to narrate our documentary," Parton said of the partnership, adding, "She is the perfect person to help us tell our story. She is very talented, and she has such a giving heart (via the University of Tennessee). Clearly this admiration was mutual. After Parton's passing, McKellar said, "I thought we were going to have her well into her 90s," adding, "she was such a gift to the world, and she made everybody feel good."