Little House on the Prairie star Karen Grassle, who portrayed Caroline “Ma” Ingalls on the hit ’70s TV series, opened up about her fraught relationship with the show’s star, Michael Landon, who portrayed her onscreen husband, Charles “Pa” Ingalls.
The 83-year-old revealed to People that she chose to distance herself from the show after exiting before the final season began filming, due to several disagreements with Michael.
The late actor not only starred in Little House, but also wrote the script, and directed and produced the project. Karen shared that tensions began to brew between the pair in season two, when she asked for a raise and he denied her one.
“I ran myself into the ground with resentment and anger and hurt feelings and just pure exhaustion,” she recalled. Her former co-star, Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the show, told the publication that Michael was incredibly stubborn when it came to his work.
“[Michael was] absolutely a force of nature and could be very strong-willed. And he was the director and producer and star and writer,” she explained.
“I did see that if somebody else was really strong-willed…they would absolutely butt heads, heels would be dug in.” The multihyphenate passed away in July 1991 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesKaren previously claimed that Michael would make crude jokes around her and mock her on set. The actress left the show in 1982, just before its final season, and chose to distance herself from her co-stars and the Little House fans.
“I had limited my interactions with fans very much. I really didn’t go to many events. I didn’t hang out with everybody. I separated myself,” she told People.
© MediaPunch via Getty ImagesIt wasn’t until the release of her 2021 memoir, Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House’s Ma, that she began to realize how important her character was to so many people.
“[I thought], I’ve got to get out there. So I started with social media, and I started going out to these events. I was astonished at what I learned about people’s affection for the character of Caroline.”
© Getty Images for Extra“I had no idea the depth of affection that people had for this character. It just filled my heart because I worked so hard to make something special out of that character, and there were many days that I did not look forward to going to work,” she added.
“What a payoff! I mean, how many people this long after they do a piece of work, get this kind of feedback? [I am] grateful for what I had and…[I’ve stopped] thinking about what I didn’t have.”
© Getty ImagesThe California native previously told The New York Post that she and Michael made up before his death, adding that she was “very grateful that we mended our fences”.
Little House on the Prairie aired between 1974 and 1983, and remains one of the most beloved TV shows of all time. Karen worked alongside Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls Wilder, Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls, Rachel and Sidney Greenbush as Carrie, and Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder.
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