Nellie Oleson actress says Sean Penn passed out next to her on “Little House on the Prairie ”set: 'He was done'
- - Nellie Oleson actress says Sean Penn passed out next to her on “Little House on the Prairie ”set: 'He was done'
Daysia TolentinoDecember 25, 2025 at 7:30 AM
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Everett; Jerod Harris/Getty
Sean Penn was once a guest star on 'Little House on the Prairie'
While Walnut Grove experiences all four seasons, Simi Valley, where Little House on the Prairie was shot, does not.
In fact, Simi Valley got so hot that the Little House cast would have buckets of ice water and salt tablets on hand in case of fainting. The costars got together on The Patrick LabyorSheaux podcast, hosted by Patrick Labyorteaux, and shared their experiences filming in the Southern Californian heat.
No one was immune to the hot weather — not even season 1 guest star Sean Penn, who was only 14 years old at the time. Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson, said that the future One Battle After Another star passed out during his sole appearance on the show.
Penn appeared on season 1 episode 11, "The Voice of Tinker Jones," directed by his father Leo Penn. The episode features the children of Walnut Grove banding together with a local craftsman named Tinker Jones to forge a bell for the church.
The flames of the forge exacerbated the heat, leading the younger Penn to collapse, according to Arngrim.
"He didn't wake up and come back to work," she said. "That was it. He was done for the day."
Sean Penn with Alison Arngrim on 'Little House on the Prairie' season 1 episode 11 'The Voice of Tinker Jones'
Arngrim recalled fainting herself on her first day on set. She said that craft services had served a meal that was "warm and rich" but the "wrong thing to eat on a hot day." The actress approached a director to inform him that she was about to faint.
"Then completely lost consciousness and dropped," Arngrim said. "I got an ammonia capsule broken under my nose and a salt tablet shoved in my mouth. No stars, do not recommend."
Sean Penn guest starred in season 1 episode 11 'The Voice of Tinker Jones,' which was directed by his father Leo Penn
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She took a 30 minute nap and went straight back to work. Arngrim suggested that the crew thought she was being a bit dramatic, until Penn fainted too.
"Other people began to pass out," she said. "So, people realized it wasn't me."
Check out the full episode of The Patrick LabyorSheaux podcast with the Little House on the Prairie cast below.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
