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There's a new Pa in town on Netflix's adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. Although millions of viewers fell in love with Charles "Pa" Ingalls thanks to Michael Landon's portrayal, Luke Bracey brings a level of realism and authenticity to the character. But before the actor joined his Little House family on the prairie, he starred in several films, TV shows and even an Australian soap opera.
Learn more about Luke Bracey's earlier career and how he became the new Charles "Pa" Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie.
Luke Bracey's early career
Luke Bracey may have found success as an actor, but his career was actually a fluke. While Bracey had planned on going into the sports world or another field, an unintentional audition led to an entirely different career path. The father of a friend invited Bracey to audition for another show and although he didn't book the role, he did catch the eye of an agent.
"I thought I'd be a professional rugby player or go to university and get some degree in construction, just so I'd have something to fall back on," Bracey said. "I got asked to audition for a soap opera in Australia called Home and Away. I had no idea what I was doing; I just tried to sound like a human being. Unbelievably, I got the job and then I ended up being on the show for about six months."
His first acting credit came on the soap opera, where he starred as Trey Palmer from 2009-2010. Although he was only on the show for a short time, Bracey appeared in over 200 episodes and his character turned out to be a bit complicated.
"My character was never intended to be on the show for longer than a few months, so I got to turn up and ruffle a lot of feathers," he explained. "I went from good to bad to worse."
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His film career takes off
Not long after he left Home and Away, Bracey booked a few episodes on Dance Academy and then a role in Monte Carlo (2011) alongside Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester. Over the next few years, he appeared in films including G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), The November Man (2014), The Best of Me (2014), Point Break (2015) and Hacksaw Ridge (2016). But his time in successful films didn't stop there as he went on to star in the Netflix's Holidate (2020), Elvis (2022) and Maybe I Do (2023).
The actor spoke about one of his most popular films, Holidate, which follows Jackson (Bracey) and Sloane (Emma Robert), who are tired of being single during the holidays, so they become each other's platonic plus-ones.
"I was laughing out loud when I was reading this script, and I thought the concept was great. Especially around the holidays, there are events that are built around having a partner and when you don't have one, it can be quite stressful in that way and you just see other people's eyes looking at you."
Bracey becomes Charles Ingalls
The actor has continued to appear in films over the past few years, but he's also booked a few TV roles. Prior to joining Little House, Bracey starred as Inspector Henry Boxer in The Artful Dodger and soon after was on everyone's screens as Charles "Pa" Ingalls.
"When I first read the script, I thought the character of Pa was a really interesting man in terms of his optimism, his will to make a good life for his family and to be a nice man," Bracey explained. "I found that a really wonderful part of him… He's trying to give his family a fresh start in life and to give them the best opportunity in life, to create a new life for himself and his family that's their own."
You can catch Luke Bracey as Charles "Pa" Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, only on Netflix.
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