Little House on the Prairie'sDean Butler Wished He Was 'Closer' to Melissa Gilbert's Age (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

IfDean Butlercould change one thing about his time filmingLittle House on the Prairie,it might be the age difference with costarMelissa Gilbert.

Melissa Gilbert, Michelle Steffin and Dean Butler in ‘Little House on the Prairie.'.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Butler recalls the nervousness both actors felt when they filmed their kissing scene in “Sweet Sixteen,” which takes place during a quiet moment at the local dance.

“I think that there was anxiety on both sides of that kiss and how is this going to go? But we stepped up to it,” he continued. “I’ve often said to Melissa, ‘I wish we could have been a little closer in age when we were doing this.’ But that’s not the way it really happened. Laura was 10 years younger than Almanzo. But from the perspective of playing it, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could have [had] … a little more common ground, so we would’ve been able to play the loving side of this in perhaps a little bit more interesting way.”

Regardless, the scene proved to be a very tender moment that resonated with viewers and tapped into several ofLittle House’sthemes, including love and innocence.

Dean Butler and Melissa Gilbert.NBCU Photo Bank

NBCU Photo Bank

“I look at this saying, ‘Oh boy, we really were pretty simple with all this,’ but it was beautiful [and] simple. It was heartfelt [and] simple. It was sort of storybook simple. And I think that’s one of the reasons why people continue to love this, because it gives you this idyllic view of what a romance could be, what young love could be,” Butler says, adding, “Because the audience loved her [Laura] so much … If she’d chosen this guy, then this guy must be really good. And so I got the benefit of a lot of all of that. The audience just came right with me, because she did.”

“We all have those people, and to be one of those people for so many young women is really incredibly touching to me. It’s gratifying,” he says, adding, “I want people to walk away from an encounter with me feeling like they’ve gotten what they hope to see. Older, a little more of me than there was then, but that they’re getting the essential truth of what I brought then, and they’re seeing the same thing now. That’s really important to me.”

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source: people.com