Dale Dickey takes center stage at Sundance in ‘A Love Song’

Faye is also waiting on a childhood friend and maybe a new romance. When he turns up, her old pal is played by Wes Studi (“The Last of the Mohicans,” “Dances With Wolves”), an equally weathered and wonderful character actor. It’s hard not to feel like “A Love Song,” set with the Rockies all around, becomes a summit of two not-heralded-enough actors who seldom get to be so vulnerable, so straightforwardly themselves on screen. Together, Dickey, 60, and Studi, 74, share their first on-screen kiss.

“When Wes came aboard, I was just thrilled. How can you not be?” says Dickey. “I was a little scared. We’ve both played a lot of pretty rough people. But he’s such a kind, sweet, gentle soul. It was our first screen kiss. We both laughed a lot about that. Middle-aged screen kiss, woo-hoo!”

The film, up for sale at Sundance, marks the feature directing debut of Max Walker-Silverman, who filmed it near his home in Telluride. To appeal to Dickey, he sent her the script and a long letter about his admiration for her work. Dickey, drawn to the character and Walker-Silverman’s way, decided why not. “I’m always like: If I’m not working, I’d love to work,” she says.

Dickey grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is regularly cast as characters who seem to live down dirt roads. Her credits — including “Breaking Bad,” “My Name Is Earl,” “True Blood,” “Justified” and “Palm Springs” — span more American terrain than most. Dickey does feel a connection to nature — she and her husband regularly camp — and to some of the areas Hollywood ventures to less frequently. But she’s also been in Los Angeles for decades, has acted on Broadway and loves to perform Shakespeare. To her, Faye is among the roles closest to herself.