MELISSA GILBERT
I thought Laura was incredibly fun, spunky, spirited.
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The Little House on the Prairie star, 56, who played daughter Laura on the 1974–83 TV series, was excited to be one of the interviewees for the new documentary American Masters: Laura Ingalls Wilder (Dec. 29 on PBS). The TV special explores the life and career of the Ozarks author who, at 65, began turning her childhood memories into the iconic Little House book series.
Who introduced you to the Little House books? It was a school assignment. I read Little House in the Big Woods with my mom because it had been one of her favorite books growing up.
What was your first impression of Wilder from the books?
I thought Laura was incredibly fun, spunky, spirited; she actually reminded me a lot of myself at that time. But the way she wrote her descriptions of life—food, games, sights and sounds and the world around her—was so vivid.
I could see myself there, and it really got my imagination stirred up.
What surprises you most about Wilder?
I wish I could say something deeper than this, but really what surprised me was how tiny she was [4 feet 11 inches tall]. Her husband had all of their homes made with custom countertops so she could comfortably stand and cook. She seems like a } > Ì yÕi Vi] Ã Ì Ì v iÀ Li } Ì Ã
diminutive woman was shocking to me.
You’re sort of living life in Wilder’s era now, aren’t you? My husband [actor
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the Catskills with a little hunting cabin that we converted into a second home. We knew we were going to garden, get chickens and build a barn and have horses and goats. And then the pandemic hit, our timeline moved up and it became a DIY project. We get up early and we’re
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10 a.m. I’ve never had more fun.