Ricky Schroder Talks Being Cast in Dolly Parton’s Upcoming Movie ‘Coat of Many Colors’

In the new issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now, actor Ricky Schroder exclusively opens up about his role in Dolly Parton's upcoming movie, Coat of Many Colors, recalling his excitement after learning that Dolly cast him to play her father, Robert Lee Parton.

"I was her No. 1 choice, so that was very flattering," Ricky, 45, tells Closer.

"He was a very intelligent man, although he never went to school a day in his life," Ricky tells Closer of Dolly's father. "He was a tobacco farmer and he worked himself to the bone, but he had a sense of humor."

Ricky and Dolly at the Coat of Many Colors premiere on Dec. 2.

Coat of Many Colors is a movie based on Parton's song about a patchwork coat her mother sewed during a difficult time in the family’s life in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, airing Dec. 10 on NBC.

RELATED: Details of Dolly Parton's Troubled Childhood Revealed in New TV Movies

Everyone was also impressed by Alyvia Alyn Lind, 8, who played Dolly as a child. "She is just so talented and so sweet,” Ricky raves.

"This is a movie about where Dolly comes from," Ricky tells Closer. “Dolly Parton is an American icon, a one- of-a-kind original.”

For more from Ricky, check out the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!