‘Little House on the Prairie’ Actor Alison Arngrim Compares Nellie Oleson to Hannibal Lecter
Little House on the Prairie was one of the most beloved TV shows, highlighting family values and the importance of community during its nine seasons on the air. Starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, the series drew countless viewers, eagerly following the adventures of the Ingalls family. But one prominent character wasn’t as lovable. Nellie Oleson, Laura’s nemesis and one of the most easily recognizable TV villains of all time, was played to perfection by Alison Arngrim.
Over the years, the actor has spoken a great deal about her work on the show, revealing why she loved portraying Nellie. And recently, she compared her role of Nellie to Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of the notorious serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
Alison Arngrim made Nellie Oleson unforgettable in ‘Little House on the Prairie’
In 1974, Alison Arngrim already had a good deal of experience as an actor when she landed the part of Nellie Oleson, the spoiled daughter of wealthy shopkeepers in Walnut Grove in NBC’s Little House on the Prairie. Arngrim quickly rose to prominence alongside her cast members, and she acted in the series for a full seven seasons.
Though the show’s writers intended for Arngrim’s character to be intensely unlikable, the talented actor brought the role to life in a way few others could, making Nellie totally unforgettable. According to IMDb, Arngrim went on to act in other TV shows after Little House on the Prairie, including The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
What did Alison Arngrim say about Nellie Oleson and Hannibal Lecter?
Over the years, Alison Arngrim has embraced her role as Nellie and seems to relish the fact that she’s best known for portraying such a hated character. In her series of one-woman standup comedy shows, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, which she has been performing on the road for years, Arngrim has dished on the similarities between Nellie and another infamous onscreen villain.
In an April 2022 interview in advance of one of her shows, Arngrim admitted, “Don’t you always hear from actors, ‘Oh, I don’t want to play someone unlikable’? And I thought, ‘Well, you know, Anthony Hopkins didn’t get very concerned about that when he was Hannibal Lecter.'”
Arngrim told WABE: “So I threw likability out the window and said, ‘To hell with likability,’ or as I say, ‘Any idiot can be liked. It takes talent to scare the crap out of people.'”
In a February 2022 interview with WISH-TV, Arngrim reiterated why she embraced playing Nellie Oleson. “Growing up, I liked the horror movies; I liked the villains in stories,” she said. “So when I got the job, I was clueless. I didn’t know there was a Nellie Oleson — I hadn’t read the books. But when I realized I was the villain, I was thrilled.”
What is the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ alum doing these days?
In 2010, Arngrim released her memoir, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. The memoir was a hit, and in the years since it was released, the actor has performed her stage shows based largely on the book’s content. She has also continued to act and even tackled out-of-the-box roles, including a part in the 2021 movie Even in Dreams. According to IMDb, Arngrim portrayed Debra, a music manager who encourages the young singer Sam to pursue her dreams of musical stardom.
On top of it all, Arngrim has become a staunch advocate for various charitable causes, including AIDS awareness. Though she might have become famous for “nasty Nellie,” Arngrim has proven she’s one of the good guys.
