Amid the deluge of trailers for the reboot of The Little House on the Prairie, Netflix has disclosed the name of the actress who will portray Nellie Oleson.
In the lineup of Netflix projects that are a bit uneasy to watch because they tug at our childhood memories, you can certainly start with the new series Scooby-Doo: Origins. Yet, by announcing the reboot of the 1970s classic The Little House on the Prairie, the red-N platform takes an even bigger gamble. Especially after emphasizing a desire to craft an adaptation truer to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-biographical books.
Several trailers have sparked mixed reactions, thrilling some longtime fans while leaving others lukewarm, offering visuals that are pastoral and picturesque to a fault. Fortunately for Netflix, there remained a crucial recurring role to reveal amid an already well-populated Ingalls family cast: the mother, Caroline, played by Crosby Fitzgerald (Palm Royale), the father, Charles, portrayed by Luke Bracey (Point Break), and their two daughters, Mary and Laura, brought to life by Skywalker Hughes (Joe Pickett) and Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry). The actress who will play the villain Nellie Oleson has just been announced.
The Terror of the Prairie
The trade publication Deadline broke the news: actress Willa Dunn will portray Nellie Oleson in the new Netflix-produced series The Little House on the Prairie, reviving the iconic role made famous by Alison Arngrim. Like many young actors, her filmography so far is modest in scope, with notable credits such as the series Only Murders in the Building, where she played the younger version of Meryl Streep’s character, and, more recently, the Prime Video project The Runarounds.
Delineated by Deadline, Nellie Oleson can readily be described as a formidable troublemaker, always ready to torment the other kids on the playground, and particularly Laura Ingalls. But, like any child-tyrant in any TV show, her cruelties conceal a surprising amount of kindness and a marked timidity that makes her awkward even as she pursues friendships.
The reboot of The Little House on the Prairie represents a monumental bet for Netflix, which has already ordered two more seasons even though the first installment has yet to air. It’s a sensible move given that the cast features several very young actors who are still growing, a factor that has previously caused hiccups in other Netflix series’ seasons, such as Avatar: The Last Airbender and even Stranger Things. More recently, HBO has made a comparable strategic move with Harry Potter.
That said, committing to multiple seasons ahead of any audience feedback remains a financial gamble if demand doesn’t meet expectations. The adaptation of The Little House on the Prairie will debut July 9 on Netflix.
