Michael Landon was the backbone of blockbuster ’70s TV series Little House on the Prairie — so it makes sense that when it came to deciding what happened on the show, he got the final word. In a new interview with BuzzFeed, Little House casting director Susan McCray, she recalls how the network’s fondness for Landon allowed him to innovate — including using an unusual style to cast new characters.

“When I worked on casting for other shows, I always got a description of a part,” said McCray. “Mike Landon didn’t write any descriptions; I would only get a script. It really gave me the opportunity to use a creative sense, like when you read a book and you envision what that character is going to look like.” Due to this lack of character description, McCray got to cast her new more broadly, looking for theater actors and beginning performers without a lot of experience. “I was able to give many actors an opportunity that the networks wouldn’t usually give,” she recalled.

This unique casting style was permitted because, said McCray, “The networks loved Michael. He was their star, and so he got whatever he wanted. I was so lucky, because he would say, ‘If Susan wants them, that’s the way it’s going to be.’ I was very fortunate. I would bring in about five different people, and they would read. Then I would bring back the ones that I thought were right for the director, which, in most cases, was Michael.”

McCray was incredibly close with Landon; she and her husband carpooled with him to work, and he was the best man at her wedding. But she also remembered him as an outstanding director who supported his cast without fail. “Mike was just the best to work with,” McCray said. “He was really funny, and he was also honest. He was real, he knew what he wanted, and he made actors feel good, especially if someone was nervous.

“I remember Stan Ivar was extremely nervous his first day, because Little House was his first major television role. … Michael said to him, ‘What’s the matter?’ Stan said, ‘I’m just so nervous, Mike.’ Michael said, ‘Let me tell you something. No matter what, just know I will never make you look bad. Never.’ From then on, Stan was okay because he knew it was going to be okay.”