Little House On The Prairie wouldn’t exist without Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author who shared her experience growing up in the American Midwest in the late 1800s. And as the protagonist of the fictionalized series, the character of Laura Ingalls is crucial as well. On Friday, Netflix announced a new Laura for a new generation: the new series adaptation of Little House will star Alice Halsey (Lessons In Chemistry, Days Of Our Lives).
The Little House series follows the Ingalls family through the homesteading era, charting Laura’s childhood from her earliest memories in Wisconsin and the family’s migration through Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Missouri. In addition to Laura, the production also announced casting for her family: Luke Bracey (Elvis, Little Fires Everywhere) will play Charles Ingalls, a.k.a. Pa; Crosby Fitzgerald (Crime 101, Palm Royale) will play Caroline Ingalls, a.k.a. Ma; and Skywalker Hughes (Joe Pickett, I, Object) will play Laura’s older sister Mary.
Netflix has offered lengthy character bios for those unfamiliar with the series, describing Charles Ingalls as “the original Girl Dad” and Caroline as “the one who keeps this family on track. Like moms do.” You can read the descriptions in full at Tudum, but the most robust is for Laura, and it serves as something of a bellwether as to how the streamer is approaching this classic American tale:
“Everyone sees themselves in Laura. That’s why these books endure. Laura is a disruptor. Honest to a fault. Questions authority. She’s our window into this adventure. An American icon in waiting. Forget your modern ideas of childhood — the stakes are high for children living in the 19th century. They have responsibilities — and freedoms — that seem extraordinary in this era of helicopter parenting. Mixed in with small pleasures and petty disputes with her older sister are true feats of survival and bravery. She is observant, tender, strong-willed, hot-tempered. She resists the bounds of 19th-century ladylike behavior — she likes to run barefoot and feel the sun on her face. She is curious and optimistic and fearless, like her father; resourceful and hardworking and honest, like her mother. She is quick to call out anyone who is cruel or unjust. She loves fiercely and unapologetically and is utterly devoted to her dog, Jack. She rubs some adults the wrong way — too many hard questions, too much personality, too much energy — but to the people who matter, she’s a bright light. She absorbs every detail she sees around her, collecting them for stories she will someday share with the world.“
Laura was previously portrayed by Melissa Gilbert in the long-running and beloved Little House On The Prairie television adaptation, which produced over 200 episodes from 1974 to 1983. When the new show was announced, Gilbert offered her support for the reboot (and a defense against Megyn Kelly’s accusation that Netflix would “woke-ify” the story). “I think there’s room in the Little House universe for all different kinds of stories to be told—just like there was always room in the Little Women universe to keep retelling that story,” she told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year. “These are classic stories, and no one’s done it where they hewed to the books completely. [The original] was Michael Landon’s interpretation, and now it’s time for someone else’s interpretation. And I think there’s plenty of room for that. And I think there’s a lot of other stories to mine beyond that. So I think this opens the door in a lot of ways for all kinds of Little House on the Prairie projects.”
Gilbert posted about Halsey’s casting on her Instagram, writing, “And…here she is. Wising them and @thealicehalsey all the luck in the world!! Netflix’s new Little House on the Prairie series has found its Laura Ingalls! We are so thrilled to announce that Alice Halsey will be playing the iconic role of Laura Ingalls. Please give her a warm welcome to the Little House family!”
