“Little House on the Prairie ”Star Alice Halsey Says She ‘Ran’ to Melissa Gilbert When She Visited the Set (Exclusive)

Sabienna BowmanTue, July 7, 2026 at 7:25 PM UTC

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Alice Halsey on Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ (left); Melissa Gilbert on NBC’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ in the ‘70sCredit: Eric Zachanowich/Netflix; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty -

Melissa Gilbert surprised Alice Halsey on the set of the new Little House on the Prairie, and the two instantly connected

Netflix’s adaptation is a direct take on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and not a reboot of the 1970s series

Alice Halsey prepared for the role by reading the books and watching episodes of the original show after filming

Melissa Gilbert has officially passed the Laura Ingalls baton to Alice Halsey.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Halsey, 11, revealed that Gilbert, 62, who played Laura on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1983, as well as in three follow-up TV movies, surprised her with a visit to the set of Netflix’s adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books.

Though the two had never met before, Halsey says they connected instantly. “Melissa Gilbert came to set one day and we got to meet her and she’s so nice,” she tells PEOPLE. “I ran off and I gave her a big hug.”

Halsey continues, “We didn’t even know each other. I just saw her and I ran to her. I think she’s a really nice person. She was just so supportive. So supportive. It just made me feel so welcomed into the Little House world.”

Melissa Gilbert at the 62nd Monte-Carlo Television Festival in June 2023Credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty

The Lessons in Chemistry alum is stepping into the role of Laura Ingalls in Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie, which is not a reboot of the beloved ‘70s series, rather a more direct adaptation of the books, with each season chronicling a different installment.

For her part, Halsey is excited to be stepping into the role of “Half Pint,” as Laura’s Pa, Charles (Luke Bracey) affectionately calls her. But she’s also aware of the responsibility that comes with taking on such an iconic role.

“I think it’s a huge privilege to be able to play this amazing character,” she says. “She’s been an icon across generations and I feel so honored that I get to play this character and be shown onscreen as Laura Ingalls. I think my favorite part might have been being able to just figure out who she is because she definitely has a lot of sides to her.”

Halsey also shared that she “felt a lot of responsibility to Laura and the writers and [showrunner] Rebecca [Sonnenshine] to do it right.”

Alice Halsey as Laura on ‘Little House on the Prairie’Credit: Eric Zachanowich/Netflix

She continues, “I knew that I had to honor her legacy and her story because she really was an amazing woman, a storyteller, a writer and a hard worker. So I felt a lot of pressure. But I think I was surrounded by amazing castmates, and I’m just so glad that I could do it with them.”

The young actress also did her research. In addition to reading the books, she also revealed that she sampled a few episodes of the show.

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“I read the books a lot, I read the scripts a lot. I prepped a ton just so that I could get a feel of who Laura is,” she says, adding, “I watched a few of the episodes after we had shot season 1 and I really, really loved it.”

In addition to Halsey and Bracey, Netflix’s Little House series also stars Crosby Fitzgerald as Ma Caroline, and Skywalker Hughes as Laura’s big sister Mary.

Additional cast members include Warren Christie as Mr. Edwards, Jocko Sims as Dr. George Tann, Barrett Doss as Emily Henderson, Meegwun Fairbrother as William Mitchell, Alyssa Wapanatâhk as White Sun, and Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle.

Season 1 follows the Ingalls family as they set up their homestead on the prairie near the growing community of Independence, Kansas.

From left: Crosby Fitzgerald, Luke Bracey, Skywalker Hughes and Alice Halsey on ‘Little House on the Prairie’Credit: Eric Zachanowich/Netflix

Halsey describes the show as “a story about growth and hope and family and community,” and she’s hopeful fans of both the NBC series and the books will find plenty to love in this new adaptation.

“I think that we want our series to be an extension into the Little House world. We want you to be able to love the old series and the books and our show too, hopefully,” she says.

Little House on the Prairie season 1 premieres Thursday, July 9, on Netflix.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”