Singer-actress Queen Latifah says she was thrilled to sign on to her latest film 'Joyful Noise' because it gave her the opportunity to work with Dolly Parton.

The 41-year-old said that though she liked the story of the film but working with the legendary country singer was an added bonus, reported Contactmusic.

"I felt that its timely, uplifting story was perfect for me, given what's going on in the world right now. And I already loved the studio, Alcon Entertainment.

And I liked the idea of working with Dolly Parton and Keke Palmer," Latifah said. Latifah - whose real name is Dana Elaine Owens - says she managed to make the successful transition from female rapper to an actress because both the jobs are quite similar.

"Developing my skills and getting really good at acting was actually more challenging than making the switch. As a rapper, you sort of act in music videos and in the persona you adopt onstage.

"So, to step into acting was not that difficult a transition to make. What was difficult was the work that went into becoming good at it, because I hadn't had any training."

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