Jake Giles Netter(NEW YORK) — In the new Lifetime movie Patsy & Loretta premiering this weekend, Broadway darlings Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller star as two of country music’s most beloved stars: Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.
Instead of being rivals, the two singers formed a close bond as they took on the male-dominated music industry of the 1960s together, until Patsy’s tragic death in a 1963 plane crash at age 30.
Hilty, who plays Patsy, says it was “daunting” stepping into such an iconic singer’s shoes, but she was drawn to the film’s portrayal of female friendship.
“It’s written beautifully and it’s about two female friends in a positive way,” she tells ABC Audio.
She adds, “You know, so many people like to make movies and TV shows about women who are in fierce competition and tearing each other apart any chance they get. And I really desperately wanted to be a part of something that celebrated what true female friendship looks like.”
Hilty, who rose to fame in the Broadway show Wicked and starred on the TV show Smash, and Mueller, a Tony award-winner for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, also perform the songs for the movie’s soundtrack. Hilty takes on Patsy’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “Come on In (And Make Yourself at Home),” among others.
The soundtrack comes out Saturday, the same day Patsy & Loretta premieres on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET.
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