Emmy Rossum still cherishes the unforgettable “mother-daughter duet” she recorded with Dolly Parton for the 2000 film Songcatcher.
The independent film follows a musicologist who travels through the Appalachian Mountains collecting traditional songs with the help of a young orphan, played by Rossum. The performance earned the then-child actor an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
The project also gave Rossum the rare opportunity to step into a recording studio alongside Parton, one of country music’s most celebrated figures.
Parton, who grew up in Appalachia, wrote “When Love Is New” and invited the now-40-year-old Rossum to Nashville to record it with her. The experience made a lasting impression on the actress.
Rossum revisited those memories Sunday during appearances at StyleWeekOC and the Newport Beach Film Festival, where she spoke warmly about Parton’s talent as a teacher and the kindness she showed during their brief time together.
“I mean, the song that she wrote for us was a mother-daughter duet,” Rossum told THR executive editor Scott Feinberg while recording an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California.
Emmy Rossum remembered recording a “mother-daughter duet” with Dolly Parton for the 2000 film Songcatcher
Parton’s death at age 80 sent the world into mourning in August
Rossum then recited a line from the song: “Love is pretty when love is new, like a blushing rose in a dazzling dew.”
“I loved spending time with her, even though I only got to spend like a day with her. She was so down-to-earth, and she was a really excellent teacher because she was the perfect blend of compliment sandwich but it felt honest,” said Rossum, who also received the Outstanding Performance in Television Award at the event.
“She could really make you feel special, but also teach,” Rossum added.
Producers had initially asked Parton to write a song for the film, but the singer decided to create a duet specifically for herself and Rossum.
“Somehow Dolly saw Songcatcher after the producers asked her if she might be interested in doing a song on the soundtrack and she said, ‘Wow, I’d really like to write a duet for me and this girl who’s in the movie to sing,’” Rossum told CNN in 2001.
“She flew me out there, and we recorded it, and it’s like a mother/daughter duet about a girl who wants to run off and get married.”
Songcatcher also marked Rossum’s feature-film debut.
“I play a young girl in the mountains who is an orphan and who is really hopeful and eager to learn, but she doesn’t have many opportunities because she’s in this little village in the middle of nowhere — until this independent woman, this musicologist, comes to Appalachia and discovers this little girl’s music and (the) ballads that have been passed down to her through oral tradition from her grandmother,” Rossum explained to CNN.
Rossum had also recently reflected on Parton’s “light” while discussing their recording session.
“I flew to Nashville and was coached by her and we recorded this song,” she said on the Pretty Tough podcast.
“She was just such a joy and such a light and I only met her those two days but I loved both of them,” Rossum added.
Parton’s death at age 80 prompted an outpouring of grief around the world in August.
The indie film followed a musicologist collecting music in the Appalachian mountains with the help of a young orphan (Rossum)
Rossum recalled the unforgettable experience during an appearance at The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast
Rossum was flown out to Nashville to record When Love Is New with Parton; pictured Sunday
Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who acted as her head of security, confirmed her death in an Instagram video.
‘This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ Seaver said.
He praised his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, in addition to her parents and the ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’
Parton’s representatives revealed she died following a ‘brief battle with cancer’ in a statement to People, though they did not disclose what type of cancer it was.
‘Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,’ the statement read.
The critically-acclaimed star received the Outstanding Performance in Television Award after the recording
The actress received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role in Songcatcher
‘After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.’
Her representatives also highlighted the extraordinary reach of Parton’s ‘unmatched generosity,’ noting she touched the lives of countless people she would never meet and was always ready to ‘offer a helping hand.’
‘Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.’
