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Pamela Roylance Says She Was Told to Lose Weight to Land Little House Role

Her account spotlights rigid casting norms from that era during a renewed focus on the franchise.

Overview

  • Roylance, speaking on a podcast Tuesday, said a casting director told her to be "a little thinner" before she could meet showrunner Michael Landon.
  • She said she used a girdle and a tightened prairie outfit to appear slimmer at the follow-up audition.
  • Landon later cast her as Sarah Carter for Season 9 even though she did not yet have a Screen Actors Guild card, which is the union credential many TV jobs require.
  • She joined the show during a late-series shift that brought the Carter family into the Ingalls homestead and gave her a season-long regular role.
  • Coverage notes growing interest in the property with a Netflix reimagining planned for summer 2026.