Montreal actress Catherine Bérubé lands role in Netflix's 'Little House on the Prairie' remake

Quebec actress Catherine Bérubé landed a role in Netflix's newly released 'Little House on the Prairie' remake, which launched mid-July and immediately claimed the top spot on the platform's global popularity rankings.

Bérubé plays Eliza Ingalls, the disapproving sister of protagonist Caroline Ingalls. Her character appears in the fourth episode through Caroline's hallucinations. It was a brief role—Bérubé spent only one day on set last summer near Winnipeg—but it left a lasting impression.

"With remakes, you never know what to expect," Bérubé said. "I kept my expectations low. It was really seeing Netflix's promotion before the release that made me fully understand what it represented."

She was struck by the production's scale, particularly the full-scale Western village constructed outdoors by the crew. The period costumes, while immersive, proved gruelling. The corset was so tight that breathing became a challenge, and she couldn't remove it during breaks—it took 20 minutes to put back on. That meant limited eating during the day.

"The worst part is you can't take it off during pauses because it takes 20 minutes to put the costume back on," Bérubé explained. "Being naturally greedy, I could only nibble. There's no room for you to eat a full meal." She expressed admiration for the lead actress, who wore the restrictive costume for months.

Back in Quebec working on smaller productions, Bérubé found the transition smooth. "Ultimately, our job remains the same," she said. "It's just the comfort that changes." The main difference is the time between takes—American productions allow longer for lighting adjustments, which can affect an actor's momentum.

Bérubé is bilingual and studied theatre at Dawson College. She began her career in English-language productions but has spent the past 15 years primarily working in Quebec, appearing in shows including '19-2' and 'Toute la vérité.' She has no plans to pursue an international career in Toronto or Los Angeles. "I have many friends who made that choice," she said. "Yes, there are more roles, but there are also more fish in the ocean. I really chose Quebec."