Judy Norton of ‘The Waltons’ Realized She Was Sometimes ‘A Brat’ When Filming the Show

Judy Norton of The Waltons loves sharing her memories of her time on the hit CBS TV show with fans. But when she looks back on playing Mary Ellen Walton, she sometimes cringes. The actor says she now realizes that she wasn’t always on her best behavior when she was on set. 

Judy Norton says she could be ‘self-absorbed’ 

Norton spent a decade playing Mary Ellen, first in the 1971 made-for-TV movie The Homecoming and then on The Waltons, which aired from 1972 to 1981. (She also appeared as the character in multiple follow-up TV movies.) Norton was 13 when she was first cast and basically grew up on TV. That experience wasn’t always easy, especially as she was going through her teenage years. 

Reflecting on her experience now, Norton says she sees that she didn’t always have the best attitude on set. 

“In looking back, it’s put into perspective some of what went on for me during some of those awkward years, going through my teen years while filming, and a lot of how I viewed things at the time,” she shared in a video posted to her YouTube channel in May 2023. 

With the benefit of hindsight, Norton says she recognizes “what a brat I was at times and how self-absorbed I was.” Those are “things that maybe I don’t look back and admire about myself,” the actor added. 

Norton didn’t share any specific examples of her “bratty” behavior. But in a 2017 interview with Everything Zoomer, she shared that she, like many teens, was rebelling and pushing back against authority. 

“There were times where I tried to assert my own independence and tried to throw my weight around and acted like a bit of a brat, but fortunately it was in a contained environment,” she recalled. 

‘The Waltons’ cast member cringes when she looks back at old interviews   

In her YouTube videos, Norton looks back on old episodes of The Waltons and answers fan questions. That sometimes requires her to dig into the archives, including reviewing old news articles and interviews. She isn’t always happy with what she finds. 

“Even in looking back at press clippings … there’s things that I’m just like, ‘Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I said or did that,’” she said.

While looking back can sometimes be a bit embarrassing, Norton puts a positive spin on it. 

“I think it’s helped me grow as a person,” she said. “I do know that I’ve had an evolution since the series ended, and I think hopefully we do learn and grow as people and that with more knowledge and wisdom and interaction with people and maturity that I keep trying to be a better person.” 

Answering fan questions has also caused Norton to see her experience on The Waltons in another light. 

“Your questions have shed light on things for me that just make me view the whole experience a lot differently,” she said. 

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