Karen Grassle is also known for this series. She was born in 1942 and pursued an artistic career, and after completing her studies at the University of California, she went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, after which she returned to the United States.
For Karen Grassle, life put her in the right place at the right time. When the auditions were held for the series, Karen should have played in another project but when she had to fly to Los Angeles for that role she could not find tickets and her agent called her and offered her a role in the series, along with by Michael Landon. Karen decided to go to the interview even though she was not a fan of TV shows.
She later said she was alone at the interview for the role of Caroline Ingalls. She also said that everyone in the interview was very tired because they already cast everyone else, but after a few lines she was already asked to go to the wardrobe.
Karen got the role and said she was pretty scared of what was to come, but Landon always tried to make everyone laugh and feel good on set. There was a lot of pressure on him. Karen decided that her role should be based on her mother’s life experience, and this helped her a lot.
Although people enjoy filming, as the series became more and more popular, Karen thought she deserved to receive more money given that she is one of the main characters. This led to a heated dispute with her colleague Michael Landon. She said Michael did not want to give her more money when she wanted to renegotiate the contract. This dispute caused a rift in the relationship between the two.
Karen did not speak publicly then about this incident and about the rift in their relationship, but the two had a friendly phone call before the actor died.
Cindy, Michael’s widow, said that although her husband seemed a serious man, he was very passionate about his work, always came home happy and was a wonderful father.
The other actors in Little House on the Prairie always said that they had a wonderful experience during the filming and Michael made everyone feel good and important, no matter how big or small the role of that person was. Also, Dean Butler, who played Landon, had only nice words to say about Michael and thought he was a real professional. Michael was trying to make everything easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
Michael also tried to make sure that the actors could get home in the evening and have dinner with their loved ones. He believed that a balance between work and personal life was the key to success.