Charlotte Stewart AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Interview by Kelly Oden It is somehow appropriate that Charlotte Stewart's career began as Disneyland's first walk-around character of Alice in Wonderland, as her life would be fraught with unexpected dangers and addictions, with bizarre, wonderful and famous characters. Most famous for her role as the schoolmarm Miss Beadle on Little House on the Prairie and her work with director David Lynch, Charlotte was also a notorious wild child of the 60s. She defined the era of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll via her relationships with noted personalities including Bill Murray, Jon Voight, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Considine and her most notorious "drinking-
buddy/friends-with-benefits" relationship with Jim Morrison. What many people don’t know is that the woman who had played America's most beloved schoolteacher, became addicted to drugs, eventually living on vodka and hotdogs, until she entered rehab and remained sober for 27 years. Charlotte is the first cast member of both Twin Peaks and the cult classic Eraserhead to speak out in a memoir. She is also the only adult cast member of the hit series Little House On The Prairie to release a memoir on the sometimes-turbulent, behindthe-scenes relationships and responsibilities of playing the respected Miss Beadle. In her book, Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A
Bad Girls Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X and Me, she speaks out candidly about her battle with breast cancer, suicide attempts, celebrity divorce and more. Charlotte has recently filmed scenes for the reboot to Twin Peaks set for release on Showtime in 2017. In addition, the surreal anti-nuclear comedy written and directed by Neil Young in the 1980s, Human Highway, is being re-released to 400 theaters in 2016. Stars include Neil Young, Dennis Hopper and the band Devo. Coming of Age had the pleasure of speaking with Mrs. Stewart about her life, her loves and her career.
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