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Eric Zachanowich \/ Netflix<\/p>\n
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Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls in Netflix\u2019s new treatment of Little House on the Prairie, which wa shot in Manitoba.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Manitoba\u2019s locations synced up nicely with Sonnenshine\u2019s vision for the show, which stars Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry) as Laura and Australian actor Luke Bracey as Charles (Pa) Ingalls, the role made famous by Landon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came to Winnipeg and we saw the landscape and it really was incredible, all this Prairie, such wonderful skies, such wonderful light and very long days. And also these incredible golden hours,\u201d she says, referring to the last hour of sunlight in a day, which gives a glowing golden hue to the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is so valuable for shooting and making it feel cinematic and beautiful. We just love it. And we love the people and we love the crew that we get to work with. It\u2019s an incredible place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, Little House on the Prairie shares something in common with other notable shows Sonnenshine has produced, including supernatural teen drama The Vampire Diaries and violent superhero series The Boys.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love world-building. I kind of come from a genre world. And the most important thing about working in genre is the emotional resonance of the characters, but also the immersive world-building,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the show may feel grittier than the original series, in which the frontier life had an overlay of Hollywood gloss. This version takes advantage of the real-life location to focus on the details of production design and period costuming,<\/a> as well as shooting in the actual Prairies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s dirty. There\u2019s wind, there\u2019s weather, there are bugs, and it makes it feel very authentic. It feels, for us, immersive, and I think that translates for the audience that it feels immersive as well,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The resulting show looked good enough to Netflix that a second season has already been ordered, well in advance of the series premi\u00e8re next week.<\/p>\n \u201cThey believe in the show and we were able to come back to Winnipeg,\u201d Sonnenshine says. (Production of the second season has begun and will proceed until the end of October.)<\/p>\n wfpyoutube:https:\/\/youtu.be\/jSds4Oi83Eg?si=mCxKCJSeBxAXBQ9g;wfpyoutube<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In taking on the role of frontier family man Charles Ingalls, Sydney-born actor Bracey says he considers himself lucky he didn\u2019t come with the baggage of familiarity with the character that Landon built decades earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cI was kind of a little bit blissfully ignorant of the Little House world before I came into it,\u201d says Bracey over a Zoom call from Los Angeles to Winnipeg, where he spent months filming the first season last year.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Eric Zachanowich \/ Netflix<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Luke Bracey (with Alice Halsey, left) enjoyed shooting in the elements in Manitoba.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The actor, 37, says he neither grew up with the show, nor was really aware of the worldwide scale of its appeal, which he thinks actually helped him.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t feel the burden of it in that way,\u201d he says. \u201cI felt the normal burden that you want to do a good job and you want to be true to these beloved stories. And as I\u2019ve grown to learn all about the books and the show and the stories and how much people love it, it\u2019s less of a burden and more of a privilege, you know, to get this chance to create just a nice, good man.\u201d<\/p>\n The character endures some significant hardships over the course of the series, and for his part, Bracey says shooting in the Prairie environment helps his performance; the majority of the show is shot outside in what he calls \u201cthat beautiful nature.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it was such a joy,\u201d Bracey says. \u201cSelfishly, as an actor, it makes acting a bit easier when you\u2019re actually outside feeling the breeze, feeling the heat, experiencing all the beautiful flora and fauna that Winnipeg and Manitoba has. It was one of the most enjoyable five months I\u2019ve had working. And on top of that, Winnipeg is a lovely city and a really lovely community.\u201d<\/p>\n Little House on the Prairie premi\u00e8res Thursday on Netflix.<\/p>\n randall.king.arts@gmail.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Randall King Randall King writes about film for the Winnipeg Free Press.<\/p>\n
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