‘Little House on the Prairie’: Radames Pera Said Melissa Sue Anderson’s ‘Unprofessional Resistance’ Was ‘Very Frustrating’
Melissa Sue Anderson was a young teen when she was given a romantic storyline on Little House on the Prairie. Starring as oldest Ingalls daughter Mary, Anderson was matched with actor Ramades Pera (John Sanderson Edwards) in a recurring love story. Both Little House alums have been vocal on Anderson’s apprehension over the plot, which Pera found to be creatively hindering.
Radames Pera recalled starting on ‘Little House’
Pera discussed his two seasons on Little House in a 2020 interview and recalled joining the already established cast of the historical drama.
“I went in to read directly for Michael Landon,” Pera told Fox News. “He had written a special character who was going to develop a relationship with his oldest daughter on the show, Mary Ingalls, played by Melissa Sue Anderson. But I did have to earn my way into the group. Some warmed up to me right away and others did not.”
The Little House alum described how Landon created the starry-eyed storyline between John and Mary, which didn’t go over well with Anderson.
“Melissa Sue, who I was supposed to have the most interaction with, was a couple of years younger than me,” Pera explained. “She was probably 13 and I was 15. When Michael decided to develop a romantic relationship between us, I think that she just wasn’t ready for that type of acting yet. It felt a little pushed by Michael.”
Melissa Sue Anderson didn’t warm to the romantic storyline
Pera shared how Anderson continually eschewed ideas in creating some sparks between their characters, which became an obstacle to Pera’s performance.
“Despite my best efforts to be professional with her and invite her to help develop the on-screen chemistry between our characters, she wouldn’t have any part of that,” the former Little House star remarked. “It became very frustrating for me as a professional actor at that time to be met with that kind of, what really amounts to basically unprofessional resistance.”
In retrospect, Pera pointed out that Anderson was a bit young to be taking on such an intimate storyline. While John and Mary’s romance was always portrayed as innocent, the close contact and one scene involving a brief kiss proved to be an unwelcome challenge for Anderson at the time.
“Looking back on it now, I understand,” Pera commented. “She just wasn’t ready. And fortunately, we were both talented enough that we didn’t let that show in our performances. But Michael knew it was an issue and things just weren’t clicking between us.”
‘I’ll Ride the Wind’ episode was difficult for Melissa Sue Anderson
Anderson spoke of working with Pera in her 2010 memoir, The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House and admitted she didn’t feel much chemistry with her co-star.
“I don’t remember who my teenage crush was at that particular time,” Anderson wrote. “I was ‘in love’ at one time or another with Bobby Sherman, David Cassidy, and Donny Osmond. Somehow Radames Pera just didn’t rank on my ‘hunk’ list.”
In season 3, John and Mary share a kiss in the episode “I’ll Ride the Wind”. Anderson clearly remembered her trepidation in the scene and needed coaching from director Bill Claxton in order to give a convincing performance. The former Little House actor attributed her hesitation to her age and the show’s time period, prompting her to make the kiss a bit shorter than most onscreen smooches.
“As I watch ‘I’ll Ride the Wind’, and this scene in particular, I am reminded of how difficult it is to be a teenager, let alone a girl growing up in front of millions of viewers,” Anderson revealed. “When I watch that scene now, I attribute the brevity of the kiss more to the historical times, fortunately, than to my acting. In those days, passion was reserved for after marriage.”
