That’s all, folks! Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are saying goodbye to their beloved characters Grace and Frankie after seven incredible seasons, marking the show Netflix’s longest running series. The hilarious duo, who are beloved from their 1980 film 9 to 5, are also joined this season by their former costar Dolly Parton, for a long-awaited cameo from the legend! “I’ve seen some footage and it’s so beautiful and I cried and it was so special!” gushed Grace & Frankie star Brooklyn Decker.” I can’t give away too much, but it is the perfect way to depict Dolly Parton.”
While Brooklyn said she didn’t get to “personally interact” with Dolly on set due to the COVID regulations, she is “really excited” for people to see the cameo, which fans have been begging for since the show’s premiere in 2015. “Fans are going to love the ending. Every character has their story tied up into a beautiful bow. Some of is melancholic, some beautifully happy and celebratory, and some just a nice, poignant fresh start,” she teased. “That’s what I think Grace & Frankie is so good at, balancing the heart with the humor and a little bit of drama, but still enough joy to just make you feel cozy and happy.”
As for Brooklyn’s character Mallory, the mother of two reminisced on becoming a mom, herself, while playing the role and how that has evolved her appreciation of the storyline. “In the early days of the show, she was a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have her career together and had kids right after college. Then, she got divorced from her husband, which was a big thing that she went through and she was trying to figure out, ‘What does my future look like as a single woman? Do I go out and party and date do I focus on a career? What is my career? What is my role as a woman outside of my motherhood?’ and I know that’s something that I think all women can relate to,” the actress explained. “I can certainly as a mother relate to that, like what is my purpose outside of motherhood and so it was really fun to explore that with her.”
She continued, “To become a mother over the period of the show and to start playing these moments as a mom, on camera, it was a wonderful way to grow as a human, as a show and as a character within the series.”
As for the many lessons she will take with her that she picked up from Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Brooklyn revealed a few that stand out. “From Lily, she gave me permission as an actor to just play and be in it; to try things and to improvise and to not feel so stiff and rigid, but just to have fun. She’s so good at that, she embodies joy on set,” she gushed. “From Jane, I learned technically how to master the craft — and not to say that I have by any stretch of the imagination mastered it, but to see her technical mastery of acting was really something to see.”
Brooklyn added, “Not only that, but they both taught me that there are enough hours in the day. Jane taught me you can constantly be doing more and to constantly stay service minded, to think about, ‘What are the current needs, how can I contribute to the solution?’ She is the the living embodiment of that.”
The Grace & Frankie star spoke to HollywoodLife in partnership with ZYRTEC® as we hit peak allergy season! As a longtime allergy sufferer, Brooklyn uses ZYRTEC® to provide a full, 24-hours of relief from her allergy symptoms, so she can enjoy spring and the outdoors. She teamed up with ZYRTEC® to help launch their partnership with American Forests, the national nonprofit dedicated to conservation, for the ZYRTEC® ReLEAF Project, a tree-planting initiative to help foster a better, healthier planet for all.