Fans of the original Little House on the Prairie will no doubt remember Alison Arngrim.
Arngrim, 63, played resident mean girl Nellie Oleson on the series from 1974 to 1982. Though her character was often regarded as bratty and manipulative, she certainly left her mark on the beloved show.
“I’ve had people just go off about how much they hated me and how they wanted to punch me in the face,” Arngrim told Closer Weekly in an interview published earlier this week.
Arngrim’s Nellie and Melissa Gilbert’s Laura Ingalls hated each other on screen, but they’re still very much a part of each other’s lives to this day.
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“We’re always talking and texting. She’s in New York, but she’s come on the podcast. She’s just a riot. She’s married to Timothy Busfield and those two are perfect together. It hasn’t changed when we talk. I mean, we still have weird inside jokes, crack up and make fun of people. It’s like it has not changed at all,” Arngrim gushed.
As for returning to the prairie, the longtime actress has some thoughts.
“It is not a reboot. It will not be exactly like our show in the ’70s. And it shouldn’t be. That would be terrible! I think it is going to be very much like the books,” Arngrim explained of the upcoming Netflix adaptation. “Very historical. If this was a Star Wars thing, I’d call it a prequel. It’s going to go all the way back to when Laura was very young. I think that could be really good.”
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On making a cameo, she said, “Of course! I’ve always said, ‘I’m old enough to be Mrs. Oleson now, so call me.’ The show has to obviously become its own thing, get its own footing with its own people. They have to find people who are good and will have the same kind of incredible chemistry together that we had.”
