Skye McCole Bartusiak (Rose Wilder) Exclusive Interview!

Special Thanks to Skye McCole Bartusiak for taking the time to be interviewed about her role as Rose Wilder on Beyond the Prairie II: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Continues.

1. Before you got the role as Rose Wilder had you ever read the "Little House" books or seen the TV show starring Michael Landon?

I saw the TV show but didn't read the books.

2. What was it like to play Rose Wilder in Beyond The Prairie II?

It was a hard and demanding job, but a lot of fun.

3. How was the audition for Rose Wilder? Was it very competitive?

Ya, it always is, but you just get used to that.

4. Did you enjoy working with the cast and crew on Beyond the Prairie II? Anybody in particular you enjoyed working with?

My good friend Codi Linley was in that movie so that was great. Also, my grandmother and grandfather came to the set and that was great for them to be on a film set. The dog wrangler convinced my mom to let me get a dog and that is how I got Pippa!!

5. What, if any, affect did playing Rose Wilder have on your career?

I always learn from the other actors on a set, and we shot a lot of that on interesting and real cool locations. Also, that was when my horse Glory was living and he was in the movie. My friend Darrell rode him, both are now deceased, Both died of a heart attack.

Lennon: Are you still associated with or recognized from being in the Beyond The Prairie II?

I am recognized more from 24 and Boogeyman and The Patriot I think.

6. Having played Rose Wilder in Beyond the Prairie II, did that role help you with your performance as Missie Davis on Love Comes Softly since both movies take place in the same era?

No, I approach each script in a different way because the characters are so different. I think Missie in Love Comes Softly was much more wounded in her own way.

Lennon: What was Michael Landon, Jr. like to work with as a director in this project?

Love him, love him, love him and love his wife and love his kids!!!!! Nicest bunch of people on earth and so is his producing partner who wrote the script.

7. Having played Rose Wilder do you feel close to the real Rose? Are you both anything alike?

We are both adventurous!

8. Having played two characters in two different movies in the same era, what was it like to wear clothes from the pioneer era?

I love period pieces the best. I love the old time movies and the old time sets.

Lennon: Did you find the clothes being comfortable? Meredith Monroe, told me she thought they were a lot of fun to wear and very comfortable?

Very, very comfortable. Soft fabrics.

9. In filming Beyond the Prairie 2 did you have any difficult scenes to film?

The cave scene was hard because of the breathing.

Lennon: I always thought the cave scene around the end of the film would be hard to film, especially for the camera men since they had to get around the cave with cameras to do the scene.

The cave was on a set so it was pretty easy and accessible for the camera men.

10. What are you currently doing professionally? Any new roles fans can look for you in?

I just finished a feature called Pineapple and a film short called Razor Sharp. Also, I have a feature coming out called Kill Your Darlings with Sony pictures. Right now I am waiting on funding to be in order for another project.

Thanks very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. Do you have anything you would like to say to all the "Little House" fans around the world?

I'm a fan myself.