“Little House” Star Didn’t Want To Audition For Caroline Ingalls At First – Here’s Why
on Jul 20, 2026
Crosby Fitzgerald wasn’t sure if she would be a good fit to play Caroline “Ma” Ingalls.
The Little House on the Prairie reboot has officially arrived on Netflix, and the entire first season is now available to stream. The remake comes more than 40 years after the original show ended.
The series, inspired by the famous books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, first premiered in 1974. The show was a hit and ran for nine seasons before airing its series finale in 1983.
The original show starred Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, and Melissa Sue Anderson. Now, an entirely new cast is stepping into the roles of these iconic characters.
In Netflix’s adaptation, viewers are introduced to Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls, Luke Bracey as Charles “Pa” Ingalls, Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline “Ma” Ingalls, and Skywalker Hughes as Mary Ingalls.
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For most of these actors, being part of Little House is one of the biggest roles they’ve ever had. And with so many fans already loving these characters, there’s definitely a lot of pressure that comes with bringing them back to life.
This is why Crosby Fitzgerald was hesitant to audition for Caroline at first. In an interview with PEOPLE, the actress admitted that she wasn’t sure if she could do the character justice.
Crosby Fitzgerald Explains Why She Didn’t Want To Audition For “Ma”
Before landing the role, Crosby was already a big fan of the Little House series.
“I read Little House on the Prairie, and I’ve read all the books. My mom’s a huge fan of the books, my stepmom, huge fan of the show,” she told the outlet.
Because she already knew so much about the show and its characters, Crosby had mixed feelings when she found out she’d be auditioning for the role of Caroline.
“I’m not sure that I can [play] this person,” she recalled thinking. “I consider myself sort of brash and loud and annoying, and she’s so poised and elegant, from what I remember from the books.”
Any doubts she had, though, disappeared after reading the script for the first time.
“Then I read the script and I was like, oh my God, I really am in love with this person,” she said.
She continued, “I was just so impressed with how layered she was and fierce and still very grounded and still very poised under pressure. I was like, wait, she forges this river and then breaks her foot, all while she’s pregnant and doing this on her own. She pulls a shotgun on a wolf. I was just like, okay, I can maybe do this person.”
Crosby adds, “I just fell to my knees and started crying,” after learning that she was offered the part. “[It] changed my life pretty much.”
Crosby may have questioned whether she was the right person to play Caroline at first, but it’s safe to say she was a great choice. The same goes for the rest of the cast.
The show’s early ratings prove that fans have been enjoying the reimagined series. In its first four days, Little House on the Prairie earned 6.4 million views, making it Netflix’s third most-watched TV show that week.
The show has already been renewed for a second season, so fans will get to see Crosby Fitzgerald return as “Ma” along with the rest of her costars.
The Ingalls family are on their way. Little House on the Prairie premieres July 9 and the series has been officially renewed for Season 2!
— Netflix (@netflix) March 3, 2026
Starring Alice Halsey as Laura, Luke Bracey as Charles, Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline, and Skywalker Hughes as Mary. pic.twitter.com/gRucGbIZxt
