Joyful NoiseAn Interview with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton
by Max Evry
January 6, 2012
In the new inspirational musical “Joyful Noise,” Grammy-winner and Academy Award-nominee Queen Latifah plays Vi Rose Hill, the leader of a small-town gospel choir who’s caught in a tug-of-war between Pastor Dale’s (Courtney B. Vance) insistence on keeping things traditional and church patron G.G. Sparrow’s attempts to modernize the tunes so they can compete.
Sparrow is played by country music and screen legend Dolly Parton, in her first movie role in two decades.
Also cast in the film are Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan, who play Vi’s daughter and G.G’s grandson respectively.
Blackfilm.com recently spoke with both Latifah and Parton as they discuss the film, their iconic status, and the role faith plays in their lives.
Would you two consider doing one of each other’s songs?
Dolly Parton: Sure! She did record some of mine.
Queen Latifah: Mmhmm, yeah, she did write some of the songs so I guess I already did, so you owe me some joints. We’re going to have to get you on a record.
PARTON: I do a rap thing on my stage show, it’s so silly.
LATIFAH: You gotta pull it up on YouTube, it’s the best.
PARTON: To answer your question, yes we would. We might even do a duet outside of the movie.
LATIFAH: I’ll do that, whenever you call, boss.
The two of you are dominant female actors, brands, icons in this business. You’ve done so much for women in entertainment, so do you take ownership of that?
LATIFAH: I’d like to take ownership of that. (laughs)
PARTON: Hit it, Oprah! (laughs)
LATIFAH: Actually, Dolly was very much an icon to me growing up, the way she carried herself. Not to be crass, but being very gifted up there and I developed kinda early and she was one of the people that I saw out there that carried it well, with humor and grace and talent and quick-wittedness. Just so many abilities. She definitely inspired me and I’ve tried to continue that, carry myself a certain way, and how I feel women should be treated and viewed throughout my career.
PARTON: You’ve done great. We did great together. We both know we’re just totally individuals, she’s got her space, I’ve got my space. We respect and love that, and admire each other for that. We don’t think we have to be best girlfriends and hang out, we just both know and admire. I know who she is, she knows who I am. We respect each other the way you do with all people who are strong in their faith and themselves. We’ve been quite surprised ourselves. Every day we admire something new about each other.
One of the most powerful scenes in the movie is the one with Keke (Palmer) in the elevator. Where did you go to cover that? (Director) Todd Graff said you didn’t want to over-rehearse it.
LATIFAH: Todd’s got an extremely acute memory, much better than mine. For me I guess that scene was just embodying those words and making them mine. Todd is a great writer so he put the nuts and bolts there, I just needed to curve it to make it more personal. Although I’m not a mom yet I have been that 17-year-old girl who had to get checked, and I know the pain that I caused my mom after we communicated about that. I also witnessed the birth of one of my best friend’s two children, so when a mom says, “I brought you into this world, I’ll take you out,” I really, truly understand what it means to bring someone into this world. To push someone out of your body. There’s a great deal of love and pain involved in that, and how much you put into a child, to have them get smart with you or go away from the path you’re trying to set for them can be difficult. Especially when you’re a mother trying to handle things and you’re under stress, missing your man. No one knows how cold your sheets are at night ’cause you’re trying to carry the torch. I try to imagine everything that Vi Rose does in a day, cleaning up people’s bedpans and being kind and compassionate still, then coming home and taking care of two teenage children, one with special needs, trying to keep food on the table, trying to keep her faith, and leading a choir. Trying to control everything, that was just the moment that pushed her over the edge. I’m getting’ goosebumps just trying to think of all the things that I thought in that scene.
You are both women of faith, how are you able to maintain that belief system in a place like Hollywood?
PARTON: My faith is just very personal to me. God is my best friend. I don’t try to pretend that this religion is that. There’s only one God and we’re all trying to get to him in our own way. He’s very personal to me, and I just try to keep myself anchored, try not to worry about what other people say or do. He’s a personal savior to me. I just claim that and work from that. I speak to God like he’s my best friend, and if I get upset about something I argue with him. I say, “What’s up here? I’m doin’ the best I can and it ain’t good enough! Can you give me a little bit more to go on?” The more personal your faith is to ya the stronger it is and the more you get out of it.
LATIFAH: I concur with all of that. I’ll just add that I do a lot of things that make me have to lean a lot on Jesus ’cause I’m definitely not perfect, but having that faith has surely allowed me to not become of Hollywood or of Hip Hop or of the hood or of anything. I step into those worlds but God quickly reminds me of what the truth really is.
PARTON: That’s why he forgives us so many times a day.
“Joyful Noise” opens everywhere January 13th.
