By: Debra Wallace

Dolly Parton may be petite in size, but don't let that fool you -- she packs a powerful punch.

That wallop comes in real life in her song writing, singing, movies and now in Warner Bros. Joyful Noise, her latest movie role -- her first in 20 years.

The perfect movie for this time of year, Joyful Noise makes you want to stomp your feet, clap your hands and shout for joy. The movie is an inspirational story of music, hope, love and renewal.

The film is about two headstrong women, Dolly Parton's character GG, and her frenemy Vi Rose Hill, played by Queen Latifah. Both women live in small town Georgia and butt heads about their beloved church choir and the budding romance between Parton's rebellious grandson [Jeremy Jordan] and Queen Latifah's impressionable daughter [Keke Palmer].

The message of the Joyful Noise is something to shout about - finding joy and inspiration from family, friends, a higher power - or anywhere you can to help you through troubled times. In fact, the movie shows that the recession-plagued town that doesn't bounce back from lost jobs and closed stores, but there is hope that better times are coming soon.

Parton, who is best known for her stellar music career, has won countless awards for her singing and song writing. She also produced several movies, including Father of the Bride, IQ, Sabrina, Straight Talk and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

When Parton is not acting, or performing she can still be found at her beloved Dollywood theme park and resort. In fact, she invited the cast of Joyful Noise to join her at Dollywood for a fun-filled vacation.

On a chilly day shortly before Christmas, Dolly came to the posh Regency hotel in Manhattan glittering from head to toe -- from the rings on her fingers, and sparkling gold top, to her perfectly manicured fingernails. She was pure Southern comfort.

Q: Why was it so long -- 20 years between movies? Did you get a lot of offers?

Dolly Parton: I got a lot of material, but I hadn't really been getting anything good. After I did the movie Straight Talk, which didn't do that great, I was in that category of too old to play younger parts, and too young to play the older G.G. parts, like we did here. I was somewhere in the middle.

Q: We all know you were not sitting idle.

DP: Oh, no. I was off touring, writing and doing my Dollywood stuff, so I was totally busy all the time. I really didn't want to do anything unless it was something that was really special. And when this came along I thought there is no way I cannot do this, it was so tailor made for me.

Q: How do you like a movie set compared to touring and all that?

DP: I prefer my music. I'm more of a one-nighter kind of person than to have a squat down job for three months or whatever. But you have to discipline yourself for that.

Q: What did you learn about gospel music that you hadn't thought about before?

DP: I had never actually had an opportunity personally to be involved in live singing with a choir because we didn't have a choir in our church, we were congregational singers, and so it was actually a great big thrill.

Q: How did you get involved in that world?

DP: I've been to a lot of the sing offs, and gospel shows and I love that. But the hardest part for me in this movie was not the singing -- was trying to learn to dance. Trying to learn the routines. I was like wearing myself out trying to keep up. Stuff that was so natural for them, I was just worn out with that. But the singing was fun. I love the inspiration of singing with the choir like that.

Q: The movie is about tough times in the town and all that -- people out of work, stores closing their doors. Who and what helps you personally through tough times?

DP: What the movie is about -- God, the light. Looking for something more positive, believing there is something greater than us and that there is hope and that there is promise. And I just felt like this little movie in this day and time was so special for that.

Q: Why is that?

DP: With the way people are so downhearted and down in the dumps and people just feel like we've just lost all connection with God. This whole world has a little gone nuts -- where are the morals, the principles and values? What are we clinging to these days? We need something greater than us. I just felt for myself this was very uplifting thing for me, it was good medicine for my own soul and help hopefully to uplift mankind.

Q: I know that the role was written for you, but what about it when you read it, stood out for you?

DP: The fact that it had to be me to do it. [Very animated]. I thought, 'Oh, my Lord they can't do this to me. He can't write a character that is this much like me and then somebody else do it.' I thought I had to do it, because it was just perfect. I felt like I knew everything about her.

Q: Who came up with the self-effacing humor about plastic surgery?

DP: I told [the director] Todd Graff that 'you are welcome to play off me. We just want laughs, so make it where it's balanced, don't let [Queen Latifah’s character] get ahead of me. Tit for tat, if you will pardon the expression, if she says something about me, then I have to get her back. I don't care what we are doing.' Todd was afraid that I wouldn't want to do the fight scene, where she was having me in a headlock. I said, 'are you crazy, I'm willing to do anything for a laugh. We are doing a movie here.'

Q: Can you tell me an example of the ad libs on the set?

DP: [Laughed]. Some of our fight scenes. We were both ad libbing.

Q: You wrote the song From Here to the Moon and Back for your real life husband, so how did you tailor it for the movie?

DP: I had read the script and I knew who the characters were, and I saw where Todd had said he wanted some music to say what the scene was about and to cover all those emotions and feelings, so I just automatically sensed what it should be. By reading it and being emotionally involved in it, or picturing what I thought the scene would be.

Q: Then what happened?

DP: I just started writing it. And of course when you write you would chose the person I am closest to, so I wrote it about my husband. So it definitely made it easier and made it more special. And I really thought that that song came out really good. It's one of my favorites that I've written in a long, long time.

Q: How often do you write music?

DP: I love it. I write a little something every day. It's like much like therapy, isn't it? Even if I don't write a song -- everything just inspires me. I'll come up with a line or somebody will say something that will trigger something. Just like tonight. I will probably go home and write down something, when I have time I will write two or three songs a day. If I've got the time I like to set aside a couple of weeks to say I'm going on a writing binge -- I used to get to do that more than I have been lately.

Q: How did your friendship with Queen Latifah evolve and what did you learn from her about anything - work or not?

DP: Were learning everything every day. We've learned that we do genuinely like each other because sometimes you have to fake it because you have a lot of work to do when you do a project you have to get out and you have to promote it. But it's nice when you really look forward to seeing that person and you enjoy it, I get a kick out of her when she’s talking.

Q: Have you written a song with your new pal Queen Latifah?

DP: Not yet. But we might. This is all new to us. We just had time to make the movie and now that were promoting it we're getting to be friends.

Q: A huge part of the movie is about a performance where there is so much at stake. Have you personally had a performance that you felt you had a lot in personal stake in doing well? What have you learned as an actress and a musician?

DP: When I do movies I always insist that I get to have my music in it, too, so all of those things have been important to me. I've been at this for 50 years; I started when I was just a kid. You always try to learn from everything you do. I've just been at everything for so long that everything just kind of rolls along, I just do what ever projects that come along and try to give it my best.

Warner Bros. Joyful Noise Opens Friday, Jan. 13