The Unforgettable Interview: Dolly Parton's Quick Wit and Unyielding Spirit in the Face of Adversity

Long before she became one of America's most beloved singing icons, Dolly Parton proved she could handle even the toughest interviewers.

In a 1978 interview which has resurfaced online, the country music superstar sat down with legendary journalist Barbara Walters and showed just how quick-witted she is, even when faced with uncomfortable questions that might have rattled other celebrities.

"Where I come from, would I have called you a hillbilly?" Walters asked, after the "Coat of Many Colors" singer described her upbringing in rural Tennessee.

Without missing a beat, Parton replied: "If you had have, it would have been something very natural, but I would have probably kicked your shins or something,"

When pressed further Parton explained that while outsiders often viewed mountain communities through simplistic stereotypes, her family members possessed dignity and common sense.

"We were very proud people," Parton added. "People with a lot of class. It was country class, but it was a great deal of class."

The interview took another memorable turn when Walters suggested that Parton seemed to live in "her imagination".

Parton, now 80, described herself as a curious little girl from the mountains who dreamed of a bigger world beyond her hometown. Through determination, hard work and unwavering belief in herself, she said those dreams eventually became reality.

"One day it came true," the 10-time Grammy winner recalled, describing herself as "a fairy princess and she lived happily ever after."

As per a People report, years later, Parton reflected on the encounter in her 1994 memoir, revealing that many people had warned her Walters, who died in 2022 at 93, would "chew you up and spit you out."

But Parton insisted: "Nothing could have been further from the truth. Barbara is a very insightful person. Once she realized I was real, that my insides weren't as phony as my outsides, she got completely into it."

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