Dolly Parton's passing has brought out tributes from stars all over Hollywood, with Seth MacFarlane being a notable standout. The writer/actor featured the country legend on Season 3 of The Orville and paid tribute to her by speaking about her as a person and that experience.
Parton played a simulation of herself in the episode "Midnight Blue," as she was a hero of the Moclan revolutionary Heveena after Ed Mercer introduced her to the star's music. MacFarlane wrote about that experience on Instagram, as well as what he appreciated about her:
The news of Dolly Parton’s passing is devastating. I had the extraordinary experience of working with her on The Orville, and it was a joy to discover that she really was exactly the person we all hoped she was. Her kindness, generosity, and authenticity were evident from moment one, and the benign yet assured command she maintained over her empire was obvious from the genuine love and trust you could see from everyone who worked for her. The world is a dimmer place today without her.
MacFarlane shared the clip, which CinemaBlend learned a good deal about years back thanks to director Jon Cassar. As Cassar told us back in 2022, shooting that cameo was no easy feat, as COVID lockdowns were in effect and many safeguards were in place that made guest appearances and everything else difficult. Dolly Parton was interested in appearing, but was stuck in Nashville.
This resulted in The Orville team shipping part of the set from Los Angeles to Nashville, to a studio where Parton does her own productions. The scene in question was then shot, but Parton and Heveena actress Rena Owen were never in the same room when it was filmed. The same set, split in half, with two thousand miles between them. It's pretty incredible.
It's an example of the lengths that people would go to include an icon like Dolly Parton. It really can't be stated enough how much the COVID lockdowns made production difficult for movies and television alike. It would've been so much easier to do a scene where Parton was seen on a viewscreen and they just recorded her on Zoom or something, but no, Seth MacFarlane was committed to making it feel authentic.
MacFarlane has also had a deep reverence for many classic music stars, such as Frank Sinatra and Conway Twitty. It's of little surprise he had such a deep reverence for someone like Dolly Parton, who seemed to be a profound influence on many throughout Hollywood.
I think it also speaks to MacFarlane's passion for The Orville, which is still in limbo. Word is that Season 4 is still a possibility, despite the series being on hiatus for years now. I would love to see the series return, though with some stars waffling on whether they'd commit to a future season, we'll just have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, The Orville remains available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu. Readers should certainly check out the episode with Dolly Parton's cameo if they haven't seen it already, as it's so interesting to see her in the sci-fi series.
