Netflix’s Little House On The Prairie Remake Casts Iconic Season 2 Villain Ahead Of Series Premiere

Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie season 2 has already cast one of its most iconic troublemakers ahead of the series premiere.

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved semi-autobiographical books, which were already adapted into the classic TV series that aired from 1974 to 1983, Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie reboot is set to premiere on July 9 and, in a major vote of confidence, the streamer already renewed the remake for a second season this past March before audiences have even seen the first episode.

Now, in one of the biggest casting announcements for season 2, Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie has tapped Willa Dunn, best known for Only Murders in the Building, to play the iconic troublemaker Nellie Oleson, according to Deadline. Dunn joins the Netflix reboot as a series regular alongside lead star Alice Halsey, who plays Laura Ingalls.

However, the reboot appears to be aiming for a more nuanced portrayal, based on Nellie’s character description, which reads, “On the surface, Nellie is a world-class spoiled princess and a playground bully. Smart and supremely confident, sharp-tongued but easily wounded. Lives and breathes to make Laura Ingalls miserable. But beneath her mean-girl persona is tenderness and a yearning for true friendship — even if she doesn’t know exactly how to get it.”

In the original series, Nellie Oleson was portrayed by Alison Arngrim, who made her debut in season 1 and remained a recurring presence throughout the show’s first seven seasons, and returned as a guest star in the ninth and final season.

Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie

Willa Dunn is best known for her recurring role in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, where she played Little Loretta, the younger version of Meryl Streep’s character. She also appeared as Brooklyn Decker’s daughter in all eight episodes of Prime Video’s The Runarounds.

Her résumé also includes the film Coup! as well as guest roles on Peacock’s Poker Face and playing Amy Schumer’s daughter on Inside Amy Schumer. Most recently, Dunn appeared in the NBC drama pilot Key Witness and was featured in a FIFA campaign alongside soccer legend Mia Hamm.

Willa Dunn as Little Loretta in Only Murders in the Building

In addition to Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls, Willa Dunn will join a cast that also includes Luke Bracey as Charles Ingalls, Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes as Mary Ingalls, Jocko Sims as Dr. George Tann, Warren Christie as John Edwards, Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle, Meegwun Fairbrother as Mitchell, and Alyssa Wapanatahk as White Sun.

Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie is described as “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West offering a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”