The Secret To Crosby Fitzgerald & Luke Bracey's Chemistry In Netflix's Little House On The Prairie

The chemistry between Crosby Fitzgerald and Luke Bracey's "Little House on the Prairie" characters, Charles and Caroline Ingalls, is one of the most defining aspects of the Netflix reboot. However, this wasn't by chance; it's something the actors began cultivating before they arrived on set. "Before Luke and I met, we talked on the phone a little bit, and then we started putting together a playlist for Charles and Caroline," Fitzgerald told BuzzFeed. "We put on different songs that we were either introducing to each other, that we both really liked, or that we thought exemplified the couple's goals for their family. It was a fun way to get to know each other from afar." And when it came time for Netflix's "Little House on the Prairie" stars to don their period-accurate costumes, the cast formed an even more cohesive unit.

Once on set, Fitzgerald and Bracey agreed that their on-screen daughters made the rest easy with their welcoming energy and leadership capabilities. "Alice [who played Laura] and Skywalker [who played Mary] are wonderful young people," Bracey added. "As Crosby said, when you get to work with wonderful people, it makes it easy. They're just so effervescent and smart and funny, and we're forever thankful for that." Bracey also shared that he knew rather quickly Fitzgerald was the perfect matriarch for the Ingalls family.

Netflix star Luke Bracey knew that Crosby Fitzgerald was the perfect woman to play his on-screen wife during their initial chemistry reads. "I really wanted it to be her," he told People, adding that their connection extended outside the show. "We became fast, fast friends," he said. "I feel so fortunate that Crosby plays Caroline and that she's my teammate through all of this, because it's just a joy to work with her, and it's wonderful to know that someone has got your back through all of this. I couldn't ask for a better Caroline." 

The on-screen couple came to their roles with different levels of familiarity with the "Little House on the Prairie." While Bracey had never read the books or watched the original show, Fitzgerald had been a long-time fan. But between the "Little House on the Prairie" stars' rugged hair and makeup looks, era-appropriate costumes, and, of course, Bracey and Fitzgerald's natural chemistry, the duo convincingly brought their characters to life in a truly dynamic way. Though there are many differences when comparing the 1970s and 2026 "Little House on the Prairie" casts, both adaptations faithfully captured the love and connection at the heart of the Ingalls family.