13. Due to Stark’s insistence on filming in real settings, the cast made their way to Louisiana. “The advantage was that Natchitoches is stunning,” Harling remarked. “Wherever you aim the camera, you’ll capture a beautiful scene.”

However, the task of transporting all the essential gear and securing accommodations for the celebrity cast transformed the production into a grand spectacle. Harling noted, “It was as if the circus had rolled into town.”

14. Each evening, Parton, accompanied by her entourage consisting of an assistant, bodyguard, and hairstylist, frequented the same dining establishment, “a place called Mariner’s by Sibley Lake,” shared local resident Tom Whitehead with Garden and Gun. Consequently, the seafood restaurant stayed packed throughout the filming period as fans flocked to catch a glimpse of Dolly Parton enjoying her meal in a secluded corner.

15. The Louisiana summer posed its own set of challenges. MacLaine confessed that most of the cast often grumbled about the heat, but Parton remained an exception.

“There was Dolly, with a waist cincher barely 16 inches around, towering heels, and a wig that must have weighed a ton,” the star recounted. “Yet she was the only one who never broke a sweat.”

Even when a Christmas scene required her to swelter in a cashmere sweater. “Julia said, ‘Dolly, we’re dying and you never say a word. Why don’t you let loose?’” Harling recounted. “Dolly very serenely smiled and said, ‘When I was young and had nothing, I wanted to be rich and famous and now I am. So I’m not going to complain about anything.”