Dolly Parton played a role in motivating Kelsea Ballerini to expand her storytelling skill via acting.
Ballerini shared on Tuesday (April 29) that she’s “absolutely honored to be one of the ladies on the first ever [Variety] power of women: nashville cover!!! 💕,” she wrote as she shared her cover on Instagram. Other powerhouse female country stars included in the publication’s Power of Women: Nashville are Mickey Guyton, Sheryl Crow and Reba McEntire.
The Patterns superstar spotlighted Parton during her interview with Variety. Parton recruited Ballerini to lend her voice to the audiobook version of Run, Rose, Run, a novel the “Jolene” legend co-wrote with bestselling author James Patterson in 2022. Ballerini said featuring her voice in the audiobook was a new experience that boosted her interest in acting.
“Dolly, out of the blue, asked me to do the audiobook with her, and I had never done that before,” she told Variety. “That experience is what made me want to try acting. I think the idea of it gives me the ick, only because I don’t like watching it back. I’ve auditioned for a lot of things and not gotten them,” she admitted with a sigh. “But I’m learning to find those feelings and harness them into different methods of storytelling, and so far, it’s been so good for me.”
Ballerini said she hopes to appear in the film version of the Parton-Patterson novel. Earlier this year, she made her TV acting debut in an episode of Doctor Odyssey. The drama has also featured Shania Twain (one of Ballerini's musical idols) and other celebrities as guest stars since its premiere in September 2024. Ballerini — who recently wrapped her first-ever headlining arena tour and is serving as a coach on The Voice for the first time this season — told Variety that she’ll “never stop sprinting. But I’m now running toward things that I’m inspired by, not just the things that I feel like I need to do.” Find her full interview here.