Netflix is bringing a beloved American classic to a new generation with its fresh adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic book series. Premiering on July 9, the family drama has already been renewed for Season 2 ahead of its debut. Leading the cast are Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry) as Laura Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes (Joe Pickett) as her older sister Mary, Luke Bracey (The Artful Dodger) as their father, Charles “Pa” Ingalls, and Crosby Fitzgerald (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox) as their mother, Caroline “Ma” Ingalls.
Ahead of the series premiere, we spoke with Skywalker Hughes about stepping into the role of Mary, bringing the beloved character to life for a new audience, and what fans can expect from this reimagining of a timeless story. “I’m really excited to for everyone to see the costumes and everything. It’s so beautiful and so much hard work was put into it and we did our best to be as authentic as possible,” Hughes tells us.
She also reveals that the cast formed an instant connection, helping bring the family’s warmth and closeness to life: “I think our bond is really important. Crosby, Luke, Alice and I immediately bonded. I know Luke has talked about it [before], but the first moment we met, we ran over and hugged. It was kind of this like unspoken immediate bond that we had. And I think that’s really important because it plays into how we portray the Ingalls family. The Ingalls family’s bond is so strong and so beautiful and so rooted in togetherness.”
Hughes wasn’t just stepping into the world of Little House on the Prairie—she had been immersed in it since childhood which helped her prepare for her role: “I grew up on the books. I was pretty much fully reading them when I was around three. And so from then on, I just read the books over and over again because I grew up on a farm. We didn’t have Wi-Fi. We had like three channels to watch hockey and that’s it. So the books were a huge part of my childhood. I knew them very well. And then going into Mary [I] re-read the books.”
On what viewers can expect when they tune in to the new series Hughes says, “They can expect something that they’re going to want to binge. I hope they’re going to like how we portrayed everything and how much work we put into it.”
Watch the full conversation with Skywalker Hughes below.
Little House on the Prairie premieres July 9 on Netflix.
_
Follow Skywalker Hughes: Instagram