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Kami Colter's mother had to leave the set of The Waltons after her daughter's emotional performance became too much to bear
Cotler's mother was moved by her daughter's performance.
It takes a good actor to give an audience an emotional reaction; it takes a great actor to do the same to their own parent.
As an actor on The Waltons, Kami Cotler was more than willing to work hard at her job. Although she played the youngest Walton, Elizabeth, Cotler had no issue speaking her mind.
According to one interview with The Boston Globe, Cotler took issue with Elizabeth's naive nature. She argued that she was being given too many lines for her character, expressing confusion surrounding having children. Elizabeth Walton was a realistic, intelligent young girl, and Cotler wanted the script to reflect that.
"Elizabeth had to say another line like that recently, and that was the last," said the actor. "If they bring me another one, I'll burn it. I mean, the girl has lived on a farm all her life. How can she not know where babies come from?"
Not only did this situation demonstrate Cotler's analytical mind, but it also showed the care that went into the development of her character.
In another instance, Cotler was required to scream and cry on camera for her mother during an emotional scene. The actor's portrayal appeared so realistic that her actual mother, Barbara Cotler, had to leave the set.
"Kami came home and said it was better that I wasn't there," said Barbara Cotler, who explained that her daughter would have had difficulty expressing fear during the scene if her mother had stayed.
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