Erin Cottrell (Caroline Ingalls) Exclusive Interview!
Hi Erin! Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed about your
role as Caroline Ingalls on Disney's Little House On The Prairie.
1.
Before landing the role of Caroline Ingalls on Little House had you
ever read the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder or watched the
television series starring Michael Landon?
I absolutely watched the television series of "Little House on the
Prairie" while growing up! It was one of my favorite shows and a
staple program that my best friend, Gillian, and I would get
together to watch as often as possible. I didn't read the books,
however, until I got cast as Caroline and I fell in love with the
characters all over again.
2. How was the audition for Caroline Ingalls? Was it very
competitive?
The initial audition was strangely calm for me. But by the time the
third audition came around I thought my heart might jump out of my
chest. I had met with the Director, David Cunningham, and the
Producer, Hans Prope once before, and on this the third meeting,
they decided to keep me after the rest of the Caroline's had left.
This was at 11AM. They said "come back at 3 to meet some potential
Pas." I still didn't know if I had it or not. When I came back there
was another actress there to play Caroline and we were paired up
with two different men, neither of which were Cameron Bancroft. One
of them, however, was Josh Holloway, who is now a BIG star playing
"Sawyer" on ABC's "LOST." They felt bad about not giving him Little
House so they asked if he'd audition for a very experimental pilot
not knowing if it would ever get picked up. I think that worked out
pretty well for him. Anyway, after the Pas they brought in a couple
little Laura's, neither of which were Kyle Chavarria. And we kept
auditioning back and forth with our mixed and matched families until
David and Hans were satisfied that they had seen enough. We all went
home that night not knowing a thing. It wasn't until three and a
half weeks later that I got a phone call on December 23rd that I had
gotten the part of Caroline. What a tremendous Christmas present! I
also found out that no one else had been cast yet and that I would
be helping out the casting sessions throughout January in order to
find our perfect family.
3. I'd like to compliment you on portraying Caroline Ingalls.
Your performance in this role was absolutely amazing and very well
done! My question to you is, What was it like to have the role of
"Caroline" on Little House? Was it a challenge for you to portray
this character since so many people have set an image of Karen
Grassle as Caroline Ingalls?
Thank you for your kind words about my performance. Being able to
portray this tremendously strong and very well loved character was
an honor. In all honesty, I tried not to compare anything I was
creating for our show with what I had seen in the past. Karen
Grassle's Caroline was in my head initially, but the whole family
took a new shape as I read the books and saw how different and much
more life threatening our production was going to be. Karen's warmth
and kindness made Caroline loved and revered, but I realized that
sometimes, as was illustrated in our mini series, a Mother's
patience and will to simply survive can overtake her sense of
hospitality. In short, it was easy to deviate from the original take
on Caroline since our circumstances seemed to be a bit more gritty.
4.
Kyle Chavarria, who played your TV daughter, Laura told me she first
met you on her third audition and thought you were the nicest
person. She said you had made her feel so comfortable that when she
came out of her audition she had told her mom how much fun she had
talking with you. What was it like for you to work with Kyle on
Little House?
Working with Kyle was an absolute joy!!! She is one of my favorite
people. I remember the day we met on her third audition as well.
They had brought 10 girls in to read for David and Hans, and they
told me to talk to each one of them separately to see how well we
would get along. Now, getting along with a bunch of 8 and 9 year
olds was actually a pretty easy job for me, but there was something
special about Kyle from the moment that I met her. She seemed to
just be herself. She wasn't nervous or trying too hard. She was just
being Kyle, talking about her dogs and her brothers, and I
immediately liked her.
When they told me that she had gotten the part I was so excited. All
she ever had to do to be Laura was be herself!
5.
What, if any, affect did playing Caroline Ingalls have on your
career? Are you still associated with or recognized from playing
this role?
Playing Caroline had less of a public effect on my career than I had
anticipated, but it prepared me for things I hadn't even dreamed of.
After all of our hard work I suddenly realized that I could handle
the big tasks that were necessary for completing a six hour mini
series. It gave me a new found confidence and let me prepare for new
roles with ease. It also let me feel right at home when I got cast
as Missie Lahaye in the ongoing "Love Comes Softly" series for
Hallmark. Oddly, the head of Hallmark productions, Larry Levinson,
had no idea that I had anything to do with Little House, but he saw
my audition tape for a mini series about Black Beard the Pirate and
thought that I would be better suited for his ongoing Prairie
series. Even more serendipitous is that the co-writer and director
of the project was Michael Landon Jr. Fate works in mysterious ways.
Needless to say Michael did know that I was in Little House but he
had no say in casting, so it wasn't until after I had signed my
contract that we actually got to meet.
As far as getting recognized goes, that very rarely happens. I look
so different in modern clothes that people might not recognize me
even if they were avid fans. When I am recognized though, it's
generally by girls age 7-10. But then again they are generally wiser
than the rest of us.
6.
Having played Caroline Ingalls do you feel close to the real
Caroline that Laura wrote about in her books? Are you both anything
alike?
I do feel close to the Caroline that Laura wrote about. Being able
to physically recreate some of the joys and traumas that she went
through gave me a sense of her struggle and triumph. I also spent
quite a bit of time reading the Caroline series of books, which is
loosely based on the Quiner family's history.
As for qualities that we might have in common, we definitely share a
love of children and of teaching. I am currently and have for the
past 4 years been a teacher. Not a traditional school teacher, but a
teacher for "City Hearts," a non profit organization that brings the
arts to children at risk of joining gangs or becoming victims of
street violence. We offer dance, Shakespeare, photography, musical
theatre and film making to children who would never have the
opportunity to take these classes. It is what keeps me going in the
otherwise selfish world of Hollywood. My kids loved watching "Little
House" but they were happier once I was back to teaching.
7. What was it like to wear clothes from the pioneer era? Was it
comfortable?
Wearing the clothes of the period is not the most comfortable thing
but they have their upside. Wearing three skirts at a time can be
cumbersome but it's like having a blanket around you at all times,
which I appreciated in the cold Canadian climate. Also the waists of
the skirts and dresses are cinched so tightly that sometimes it is
very hard to breathe. Luckily, our director David said "no corsets
and no bonnets" and the costume designer stuck to it. I can't say
that Michael Landon Jr. is as forgiving with costumes. I've been
corseted for both Hallmark films and although they are very
flattering, you can forget about really eating a good lunch. Such is
the price of beauty on the prairie.
8. Do you have any regrets playing Caroline Ingalls? If you could
choose another character in the Little House series who would you
choose?
I have absolutely no regrets with Little House. We all put 110% into
our work and I'm very proud of the finished product. If I were to
choose another character to play, (and I was significantly younger)
I would play Laura. Her spirit is so free and determined. I think
she is a fabulous role model for all girls her age. She teaches us
to be whoever we want to be and that the human spirit can endure all
sort of trials and still emerge on top.
9.
You recently starred in the leading role of "Missy LaHaye" in the
third installment of Love's Long Journey. What was it like to be in
this series and what was it like to work with Michael Landon, Jr.?
I think I've spoken quite a bit about this already, but I'll add
that "Love's Long Journey" was a fabulous continuation of my prairie
days. Although Missie is younger and a little more full of spunk
than Caroline, she still holds very similar values. And believe me I
never thought that driving a covered wagon would be a skill I'd use
on a regular basis, but boy am I grateful for those lessons. (I'm
sure the horses are too.) It almost feels like I'm going home when I
put the clothes on and walk into the Lahaye cabin. There is
something about the time that is very much alive in me. I love it
and I hope I'm doing those brave pioneer women justice.
Working with Michael Landon Jr. is a pleasure. He is as kind and
gracious as his father was known to be. And incidentally, we are
shooting the Hallmark films in the same ranch in Simi valley where
the original Little House was shot, so Michael has a story to tell
around every corner. We're also lucky enough to work with Jack Lilly
who was the original horse wrangler for Little House as well as
Bonanza! It's nice to know that generations of fans are seeing the
same quality work from the same devoted families.
10.
What are you currently doing professionally? Any new roles fans can
look for you in?
Currently, I am working on the next installment of Hallmark films
called "Love's Abiding Joy." It's a beautiful continuation of the
Lahaye family's journey. I believe it's scheduled to air this Spring
or perhaps early Summer.
Just 2 weeks ago we were lucky enough to be honored with a CAMIE
award for "Love Long Journey." CAMIE stands for Character And
Morality In Entertainment. Logan Barthalamew and I were ecstatic to
give acceptance speeches and we realized the impact that these films
have on the families that gather to watch them. If there was
anything I would say to the Little House fans around the world, it
would be thank you. Your support and love for these beautiful
stories helps guide new generations into learning that the human
spirit is capable of so much more than we can imagine. (and if
you're interested, the new "Little House on the Prairie" mini series
DVD comes out March 28!)
Thanks very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to
answer our questions. Do you have anything you would like to say to
all the Little House fans around the world?
Thank you for reading my musings on a time that was very precious to
me.
Good luck to you and all of your readers.
Fondly,
Erin Cottrell
For More information about Erin Cottrell and her work visit her
Official Web site at
www.erincottrell.com
Webmasters Note: Interview was done on January 24, 2006.
