The prairie's new leading lady

Alice Halsey discusses history, heart and the challenge of carrying an American classic into a new adoption

At just 11 years old, Alice Halsey has stepped into the role of one of literature's most beloved heroines.

Cast as Laura Ingalls in Netflix's new adaptation of 'Little House on the Prairie', the young actor is bringing to life the spirited frontier girl created by American author Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose classic novels were inspired by her own childhood on the 19th-century American prairie.

The role carried an unexpected twist for Halsey. Although Wilder's books had always been on the shelves at home, she had never actually read them until an audition changed everything. Once shortlisted for the part, she immersed herself in the entire series and began researching Wilder's remarkable life, determined to understand both the pioneering girl she would portray and the woman who later turned those childhood experiences into one of the world's most enduring collections of children's literature.

That preparation, Halsey says, transformed her understanding of Laura. Far from being a simple adventurous child, she discovered a girl who was compassionate, fearless and quietly determined to live by her own convictions.

Laura, she explains, possessed a strong sense of justice and an independent spirit that often placed her at odds with the expectations of girls growing up in 19th-century America. Rather than openly rebelling, she simply remained true to herself.

Netflix's adaptation arrives more than nine decades after Wilder first introduced readers to Laura and over fifty years after the original television adaptation became a family favourite around the world. While the new series offers a fresh interpretation, Halsey says its creators have remained committed to preserving the qualities that made Laura an enduring figure: resilience, curiosity, kindness and an unwavering sense of adventure.

Researching Wilder also helped the young actor appreciate how closely the fictional Laura reflected the author's own life. Discovering that green was Wilder's favourite colour reinforced her lifelong affection for nature, something Halsey says became obvious while filming across vast prairie landscapes that seemed almost untouched by time.

Standing beneath endless skies surrounded by rolling grasslands, she began to understand why Wilder devoted so much of her writing to the changing weather, open horizons and rhythms of frontier life.

The prairie, Halsey says, possesses an almost magical quality where even the breeze seems to animate the landscape, making it easier to understand the deep emotional connection Wilder maintained with those childhood memories throughout her life.

Authenticity became one of the production's defining principles. Halsey praises the painstaking work of the costume department, explaining that every dress, bonnet and apron was carefully researched to reflect clothing genuinely worn by pioneer families.

"Walking across the prairie dressed as Laura made the character suddenly feel real," she says in a interview with Tudum. The combination of authentic clothing, historic settings and detailed preparation helped her imagine what life might actually have been like for a young girl growing up on the American frontier.

Despite recreating 19th-century life on screen, the atmosphere behind the cameras was anything but solemn. Halsey recalls one of her favourite filming days involving a seemingly straightforward scene in which the cast collected water from a creek after heavy rain. Repeated attempts to climb a muddy slope ended with one actor slipping, then another, before everyone eventually found themselves sliding back down the hill as laughter echoed across the set.

Music also became an important part of daily life during filming. Between scenes, the young cast frequently gathered to sing Taylor Swift songs, often accompanied by ukulele sessions in their trailers. Those informal moments, Halsey believes, "strengthened the friendships that later translated naturally into the warmth and affection seen on screen among the Ingalls family".

Her closest friendship developed with co-star Skywalker Hughes, who plays Laura's sister. Halsey remembers Hughes greeting her with an enthusiastic hug the very first time they met, instantly dissolving any nervousness. Since then, the pair have spent their time between takes singing, inventing hand-clapping games and sharing inside jokes, building what Halsey describes as a genuine sisterly relationship.

That closeness among the cast also strengthened some of the series' most emotional scenes. Halsey points to Laura's farewell to her friend Good Eagle as one of the production's defining moments. Their friendship, founded on curiosity, creativity and a shared love of nature, leaves a lasting mark on Laura's future.

For Halsey, portraying Laura Ingalls is more than simply playing a famous fictional character. It is an opportunity to introduce a new generation to the courage, compassion and determination of a girl whose frontier adventures, drawn from the real childhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder, continue to inspire readers and viewers almost a century after they were first written.