Latest news with #Arngrim
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Little House on the Prairie' Star Reveals if She'll Return for the Netflix Remake
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. '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.' 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 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.' 'Little House on the Prairie' Star Reveals if She'll Return for the Netflix Remake first appeared on Parade on May 24, 2025
Fox News
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Little House on the Prairie' star issues warning about ‘predators' lurking in Hollywood
Alison Arngrim was 48 years old when she publicly revealed she was sexually abused by a family member starting at age 6. It was 2004 when the actress, who played mean girl Nellie Oleson in "Little House on the Prairie," first told her story to Larry King. She described how appearing in the hit TV series saved her sanity in her 2011 memoir "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch." The star has become an advocate for child sex abuse victims, but her work is far from done, she insisted. Arngrim is the president of the National Association to Protect Children, a nonprofit that aims to give children a legal and political voice in "the war against child abuse." Arngrim wants to combat predators who seek places where children can be found unsupervised. Places like Hollywood continue to be a hot spot, she said. "Hollywood still has a sex abuse problem," Arngrim told Fox News Digital. "Whenever you have an environment where there are lots of children … there's going to be predators. There's going to be someone who wants a job where they have unfettered access to young children all day. And the more that job involves completely unsupervised access to children, the more attractive that job is going to be." "We have lots of people who have sacrificed their whole lives to help children," Arngrim shared. "But, sadly, there are others who aren't that way." According to the organization's website, it has worked in Congress and in over 27 states to craft legislation that leads to stronger, tougher laws that combat child exploitation. "There's a lot to do," said Arngrim. "We all think if someone gets arrested for child molestation, sexual abuse, they will go to jail, and they will be on a sex offender's list. But that's not always the case. There are cases where they are let go, which is bonkers. "We are looking for those loopholes in many states to help protect children. … If you're in a state that doesn't have specific rules and laws on set, especially for working children [in the entertainment industry], that's a problem. And we need to address it." Arngrim admitted that, for years, she kept her childhood abuse a secret out of shame. Getting the chance to finally tell her story was freeing. "The focus and shame are often put on the victim," said Arngrim. "But shouldn't it be on the person who did this?... When the Larry King episode aired, I felt like a weight was off my shoulders." For Arngrim, pain turned into purpose. "There are laws that say a child can only work so many hours at a store, but those same laws don't always apply to a child on a film or TV set," she said. "They're exempt. Laws were created in California where you have massive regulations, but some unscrupulous producers will shoot shows in other parts of the country so that they do not have to follow any of those regulations." Arngrim noted that, as a child actress, she felt safe on the set of "Little House on the Prairie," which aired from 1974 to 1983. "We had major regulations and, thank God, we followed them to the letter," she explained. "And [director] Michael Landon started working [in Hollywood] when he was really young. And look, he was hardly Pa Ingalls. He smoked and drank. He knew what the world outside 'Little House' could be. [But] it was important for him to create a safe space for his crew. "He came from 'Bonanza,' and many of the crew members came from the show too, so he had already known them for years, long before he started 'Little House,'" Arngrim shared. "And many of them followed him to 'Highway to Heaven.' Many of the extras, the kids you saw in the schoolrooms, were children of the crew members, the electricians. Everyone was on set. "He also prioritized school," Arngrim continued. "He made sure our teachers were there with a stopwatch to make sure we didn't miss out on class. He made sure we always had lunch. I even remember when Michael's kids would be on set. The rule was they could only be on the set during their summer breaks if their grades were at the proper level and their schoolwork was done well. Otherwise, they had to go to summer school. They couldn't just hang out on the set." Her castmates weren't exempt. They were also required to have good grades. WATCH: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE SAVED NASTY NELLIE FROM PAINFUL CHILDHOOD "Nothing got past Michael," Arngrim chuckled. "He wanted to do things by the book. He also wanted everybody to go home at a reasonable time so they could spend time with their families. And with having such a huge kids cast, I'm sure he was relieved too. But I remember we would be done by 5, and everyone was out the door. Sure, you could spend another hour or two shooting a few scenes, especially the adults. But Michael made sure we were on our way home by 6 for dinner. And it worked." Landon died in 1991 at age 54 from pancreatic cancer. WATCH: 'LITTLE HOUSE' STAR MICHAEL LANDON WAS STUBBORN ABOUT HIS HEALTH: DAUGHTER "I felt very safe on the 'Little House' set," Arngrim reflected. "I felt that if we ever went to any one of the crew members and said, 'This person is bothering me,' we wouldn't find the body for weeks. It was just an extraordinarily protective set. It was an excellent atmosphere. Michael wanted this show to thrive. And if the kids weren't taken care of, and we weren't following the rules, we wouldn't have a show. "Not mistreating your children is the more profitable move." Today, Arngrim hopes parents eager to put their kids in showbiz will look for telltale signs of trouble. "There's always going to be a predatory problem, especially in Hollywood, because it's so easy," she said. "Look at how many parents are so desperate to see their kids become famous. … People can get crazy with [the idea of fame]. "If they meet someone who says they're a manager, an agent, a photographer or talent scout, and they want to be alone with your kid, or they want to take your kid to a different location for an audition or whatever … they'll just see this promise of fame. And things will happen. It happens all the time. "That's a problem. Parents will drop their kids off at a guy's house, no questions asked, because they'll say, 'Well, this person said my child will be on TV,'" she added. "Meanwhile, the predator is thinking, 'I've hit the jackpot.' "That's why they're predators. They look for the weak spots. They look for the kid from the broken home, the kid having trouble in school, the kid whose parents are maybe working two to three jobs and maybe aren't paying attention. … We need to be vigilant in this business. … It's gotten better since my day, but there's more to be done."
Fox News
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Little House on the Prairie' star Alison Arngrim says Netflix reboot can't recreate Michael Landon's 'magic'
Alison Arngrim knows you can't recreate the original when it comes to "Little House on the Prairie." The actress, who famously starred as mean girl Nellie Oleson, told Fox News Digital that fans shouldn't be worried about Netflix rebooting the classic series, which concluded after nine seasons in 1983. Arngrim has been keeping busy attending events and reconnecting with viewers globally to celebrate "Little House" and its legacy. "Yes, there is a deal at Netflix," the star shared. "Even the people making it have said, 'Oh God, don't call it a reboot.' They're not trying to remake the '70s show. Everyone has said, 'Obviously, we can't recreate that. We don't want to recreate that. That's been done. Michael Landon did it, he achieved it and, boom, it's good. We're leaving that alone." In January, the streaming giant confirmed that it had given a reboot of the series the green light. The original show was based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder about growing up in the American West during the late 1800s. They were written during the Great Depression and published in the 1930s. Netflix has called the reboot "a transformed adaptation" that will feature Rebecca Sonnenshine of "The Boys" and "The Vampire Diaries" as showrunner and executive producer. Arngrim stressed that it will be different from the original. "They're going back to the books – they're going back to the beginning," said the 63-year-old. "They're still hiring directors and everything. It's still very, very early, but they're looking into the first books when Laura is a very tiny girl. They're going back to their roots." "And here's the thing, how many times have we made Dracula?" she chuckled. "How many times have we done Frankenstein? Or 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens? These are fantastic literary properties that were remade many times, and everyone had a different take on them. Some were brilliant. Some were terrible. And yet, we still watch them." WATCH: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE CHILD STAR SAYS SET WAS LIKE 'MAD MEN' "So, what will this be like? We don't know yet," said Arngrim. "But they're not trying to steal or recreate the thing. There are some characters in our show that were made up, a Michael Landon invention. Like Albert Ingalls. There was no Albert Ingalls in the books. . . . I know Nellie is based on three different girls. Timelines were changed." "The books were novels," Arngrim continued. "And then Michael Landon said it would be a good idea if he added stuff and changed things for the show. But this time, they're going back to the books. So, it will be extraordinarily different from our show." Before news of the reboot went public, Arngrim said the original cast members were given a call. None of the cast are expected to make a cameo appearance as of now. Arngrim admitted it won't be easy for the new show to live up to its predecessor. "Little House on the Prairie" first premiered on NBC in 1974. "Everyone involved agrees there was a certain lightning in a bottle that happened with Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, me, Katherine MacGregor and everyone else. It was its own thing. Michael Landon's vision was magic. But again, how many 'Star Treks' are there now? I've watched all of them, and I lost count. Just because we don't have Captain Kirk doesn't mean we can't enjoy them." "I do know that the folks involved are absolute sticklers for protecting the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder," Arngrim added. "They are the guardians of the gates… They're not going to do anything bad or something that is insulting to Laura Ingalls Wilder. But it will be really interesting to see what kind of mood it's going to be. Is it going to be fast-paced, like a TV show? Is it going to be slower like a feature film? Or is it going to look like an old Western? That I don't know." Arngrim does have some advice for whoever will take on the role of Oleson, one she's still recognized for today. "Everyone involved agrees there was a certain lightning in a bottle that happened with Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, me, Katherine MacGregor and everyone else. It was its own thing. Michael Landon's vision was magic. "If they don't like you, you're doing your job," she said. "Do not be liked. Don't hold back on playing a villain or worry about people liking you. Your job is not to be liked. Did Anthony Hopkins pull back when he was playing Hannibal Lecter? Did you ever see a moment in 'Silence of the Lambs' where he said, 'That's a little much'? No – and that's it." "If you think, 'Wow, that's pretty terrible,' – go there," she shared. "You need to have a strong sense of who you are and understand this is the character. Because if you do it right, somebody will hate you, preferably everybody." "Yes, I did get hit in the face with an orange soda during a Christmas parade," Arngrim continued. "So, for God's sake, if you do it right, there will be people who will get emotionally involved, freak out and say they hate you. But you have to remember, they're talking about the character, not you. You need to know who you are first and have a sense of self." The surviving cast has maintained a close bond over the years. During the coronavirus pandemic, Arngrim also hosted live readings of "Little House" books for fans. "The 'Little House' books came at the height of the Great Depression, and the series premiered when we were having a terrible recession, and people couldn't afford things," Arngrim previously told Fox News Digital. "And when times got hard in 2020, people turned to 'Little House' for comfort. People started making their own bread, and all of a sudden, everyone was an Ingalls." "There's a deep connection people have to the show, and it's truly amazing," she noted. "It really has stood the test of time, just as Michael Landon predicted. When times get hard, there's always 'Little House on the Prairie.'"
