Walnut Grove just got its Nellie Oleson as Willa Dunn steps into the role of the iconic blonde-ringlet bully for Season 2 of the Netflix reboot of Little House on the Prairie.
According to Deadline, Dunn will don the ribbons and curls of the richest little girl in town, best known for being the thorn in Laura Ingalls’ side. Spoiled, sharp-tongued, and endlessly scheming, Nellie quickly became one of the most memorable characters in the original series, serving as Laura’s longtime rival and one of Walnut Grove’s biggest troublemakers.
Little House on the Prairie was renewed for Season 2 last March, ahead of the series’ debut on July 9.
Dunn is cast opposite Alice Halsey, who will play the protagonist Laura, daughter of Charles (Luke Bracey) and Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald), and the sister of Mary (Skywalker Hughes).
In the original 1974 series, Nellie was played to pushy perfection by Alison Arngrim, who was a recurring character for the first seven seasons of the classic show. In the series, she was the oldest, spoiled daughter of Walnut Grove’s local mercantile owners, doting and snobbish Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) and the more level-headed Nels Oleson (Richard Bull), and sister to equally bratty Willie (Jonathan Gilbert). However, according to Deadline, the revamped version of Nellie will be more nuanced as her mean-natured exterior hides her need for true friendship.
“This show is a love story about a family. They’re a family you want to be with, you want to know, you want to spend time with,” showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine said in a statement. “That’s really at the core of what Little House on the Prairie is about: a family that is there for each other, that tells stories to each other, tells stories about themselves.”
Since its publication in the ’30s, the Little House book series has sold more than 73 million copies in more than 100 countries and has been translated into at least 27 languages. And according to Netflix, although it’s been over 50 years since the 1974 show first debuted, Nielsen reports that the series still garnered 13.25 billion minutes of viewing in 2024 alone.
Little House on the Prairie, Season 1 Premiere, July 9, Netflix
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