The Little House on the Prairie reboot have cast their very own Nellie Oleson, more than five decades after Alison Arngrim made the antagonist famous. Nellie, who is a foil to the main character, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the series, will make her debut in season two. 

Little House was greenlit for a second season before the show even premiered, with the release date set for July 9. Child star Willa Dunn will play Nellie, following a string of onscreen successes. 

She is best known for her recurring role on Only Murders in the Building, as well as her work in The Runarounds, Coup!, Poker Face and Inside Amy Schumer.

She will take on the role of Nellie in season two, opposite Alice Halsey as Laura. “On the surface, Nellie is a world-class spoiled princess and a playground bully,” said the casting announcement.

“Smart and supremely confident, sharp-tongued but easily wounded. Lives and breathes to make Laura Ingalls miserable. But beneath her mean-girl persona is tenderness and a yearning for true friendship – even if she doesn’t know exactly how to get it.”

Also headed to the prairie is Luke Bracey as Charles “Pa” Ingalls, Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline “Ma” Ingalls, and Skywalker Hughes as Mary Ingalls. Alison, who portrayed Nellie onscreen from 1974 until the show ended in 1983, shared her delight at Willa’s casting in a sweet tribute on Instagram. 

“Today, another has been chosen,” she wrote, alongside a photo of the casting announcement. “All hail she, whom they call ‘Willa’!! Like the one before her, she has risen from deep in the city of Gotham to stand and take the ringlet crown. Bow down and tremble before her new majesty, the new Nellie, Miss Willa Dunn!!”

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“Who I hear is a perfectly nice little girl and will do a great job!” she concluded. Fans took to the comment section to share their excitement over the news, with one writing: “LOVE THIS. This is how I hope every child star stepping into an iconic role in a reboot is greeted. They really are carrying on legacy, not replacing or putting down those who came before.”

Another chimed in: “I knew you would champion her and I love to see it!” while a third added: “Big boots to fill, but soooo looking forward to the new Nellie.”

Playing such a universally hated character meant that Alison had a different experience of fame than her co-stars, who went on to enjoy incredible success. “I didn’t have people going, ‘Oh, I have such a crush on you. I love you.’ It was, ‘I hate you. I hate you so much,'” she shared at the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Reunion.  

After the show wrapped, Alison tried to switch gears and audition for characters that “everyone would love”, but found that she had been typecast. “People agreed I could act. I remember casting directors going, ‘Oh no, no, you’re fine. You’re very good every time,’ and I’m like, ‘Really? Then what’s the problem, guys?'” she recalled. 

“It was difficult. So many people go to show business [and] people love them, and here I had worked for years, and everyone hated me. So that was really weird.”